French President says he intends to close the migrant camp and move the 9,000 occupants
He has faced criticism over the squalid conditions in the camp in Calais, which he acknowledged were "unacceptable"
FRENCH President Francois Hollande has said he plans to shut down the Calais "Jungle" camp and move 9,000 migrants to reception centres across France.
Once moved, people would have up to four months to then seek asylum, he said.
This is the first time the detailed plan to deal with the thousands of people who have settled near the French/UK border has been set out.
Conditions in the camp have been criticised, with Mr Hollande coming under fire for the "unacceptable" way people were being forced to live there.
Mr Hollande's comments about closing down the camp came as EU leaders met in Vienna to discuss the refugee crisis.
Half the camp has already been dismantled earlier in the year and Mr Hollande is pushing to shut down the remaining sections.
The president was on a visit to a reception centre in Tours, about 150 miles south-west of Paris, when he discussed his plans.
He said centres like the one he visited would hold 40 or 50 people for up to four months.
RELATED STORIES
During which, people could then apply for asylum in France - those whose bids are unsuccessful would be deported.
Mr Hollande said "there should be no camp in France", ahead of his visit to Calais on Monday.
It came as work continues on a controversial British taxpayer funded £2m new wall in the area.
French charities and politicians from both left and right are among those who have reacted with fury to the building of the so-called “Wall of Shame”.
A French online petition against the wall reads: “We must stop this expenditure by the British taxpayer being used to build a wall that has no meaning.”
The camp has become a notorious symbol of Europe's inability to deal with the refugee crisis as more and more people flee from Africa and the Middle East.
Thousands of people have gathered in Calais with the aim of getting to Britain to claim asylum.
Many have died in other attempts to reach Europe. The UN said on Tuesday more than 300,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean so far this year, with 3,500 deaths recorded.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368.