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| Calais migrant crisis: Hundreds gather at Channel Tunnel | Calais migrant crisis: Hundreds gather at Channel Tunnel |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Hundreds of migrants hoping to get to Britain have gathered for a third night along fencing close to the Channel Tunnel freight terminal in Calais. | Hundreds of migrants hoping to get to Britain have gathered for a third night along fencing close to the Channel Tunnel freight terminal in Calais. |
| An extra 120 French police officers were sent to the terminal on Wednesday, with MPs urging the UK government to do more to help ease the crisis. | An extra 120 French police officers were sent to the terminal on Wednesday, with MPs urging the UK government to do more to help ease the crisis. |
| The home secretary said new fencing was urgently being installed in Calais. | The home secretary said new fencing was urgently being installed in Calais. |
| Operator Eurotunnel said 2,000 migrants tried to get to the tunnel terminal on Monday, and 1,500 tried on Tuesday. | Operator Eurotunnel said 2,000 migrants tried to get to the tunnel terminal on Monday, and 1,500 tried on Tuesday. |
| Several hundred migrants were escorted away from the tunnel's freight terminal by French police on Wednesday night - the third night of large-scale attempts to storm the terminal. | Several hundred migrants were escorted away from the tunnel's freight terminal by French police on Wednesday night - the third night of large-scale attempts to storm the terminal. |
| The fresh attempts came despite the death of a man - described by French police as Sudanese and aged between 25 and 30 - on Tuesday. | The fresh attempts came despite the death of a man - described by French police as Sudanese and aged between 25 and 30 - on Tuesday. |
| French police said he was probably crushed by a lorry which was exiting one of the shuttles that transport vehicles through the tunnel. | French police said he was probably crushed by a lorry which was exiting one of the shuttles that transport vehicles through the tunnel. |
| Motorists using the tunnel's rail shuttle have seen delays in both the UK and France, while disruption to freight traffic is set to last all week. | Motorists using the tunnel's rail shuttle have seen delays in both the UK and France, while disruption to freight traffic is set to last all week. |
| It comes as the Department for Transport announced it is bringing in a temporary relaxation of the rules that limit how long lorry drivers can drive for and how long they must rest to make it easier for businesses caught up in the disruption. | It comes as the Department for Transport announced it is bringing in a temporary relaxation of the rules that limit how long lorry drivers can drive for and how long they must rest to make it easier for businesses caught up in the disruption. |
| The BBC's Gavin Lee said migrants in Calais had told him they would keep trying to get through a number of holes in security fences. | The BBC's Gavin Lee said migrants in Calais had told him they would keep trying to get through a number of holes in security fences. |
| They told him that going in groups of up to 400 gave them the best chance of getting into the Channel Tunnel. | They told him that going in groups of up to 400 gave them the best chance of getting into the Channel Tunnel. |
| It comes as Eurotunnel said it had blocked 37,000 migrants trying to make their way to Britain since the beginning of the year. | It comes as Eurotunnel said it had blocked 37,000 migrants trying to make their way to Britain since the beginning of the year. |
| John Keefe, from Eurotunnel, told the BBC the situation was intolerable: "It is a nightly assault by hundreds, if not thousands, of migrants who are trying to get to the UK by any means possible," he said. | John Keefe, from Eurotunnel, told the BBC the situation was intolerable: "It is a nightly assault by hundreds, if not thousands, of migrants who are trying to get to the UK by any means possible," he said. |
| "So they're coming through the fences, trying to get to the freight terminal, they're trying to get onto trucks or trains that would eventually carry them to the UK." | "So they're coming through the fences, trying to get to the freight terminal, they're trying to get onto trucks or trains that would eventually carry them to the UK." |
| At the scene | At the scene |
| Lucy Williamson, BBC correspondent | Lucy Williamson, BBC correspondent |
| As night fell, the road towards the Channel Tunnel started to come alive. Groups of 10 or 12 migrants, moving steadily along the darkened highway, jackets pulled close, hoods up. | As night fell, the road towards the Channel Tunnel started to come alive. Groups of 10 or 12 migrants, moving steadily along the darkened highway, jackets pulled close, hoods up. |
| After a day of discussion in Paris and in London over how to secure the tunnel entrance, and fresh deployments of riot police, the determination of Calais' migrants seems unchanged. | After a day of discussion in Paris and in London over how to secure the tunnel entrance, and fresh deployments of riot police, the determination of Calais' migrants seems unchanged. |
| People like Jamal - an Ethiopian who arrived here on Wednesday morning. | People like Jamal - an Ethiopian who arrived here on Wednesday morning. |
| He told me he'd spent most of his adult life doing military service in the Ethiopian army, had spent ten days drifting in the Mediterranean Sea, and had crossed six different European countries to get here. | He told me he'd spent most of his adult life doing military service in the Ethiopian army, had spent ten days drifting in the Mediterranean Sea, and had crossed six different European countries to get here. |
| Not once had his dream of reaching England wavered. For Jamal, a barbed wire fence, or a brush with police, might change his tactics, but probably not his goal. | Not once had his dream of reaching England wavered. For Jamal, a barbed wire fence, or a brush with police, might change his tactics, but probably not his goal. |
| 'Get a grip' | 'Get a grip' |
| UKIP leader Nigel Farage is among a growing number of politicians who have called for the government to urge France to do more to resolve the situation. | UKIP leader Nigel Farage is among a growing number of politicians who have called for the government to urge France to do more to resolve the situation. |
| He warned that unless "something radical is done it is only a matter of time" before a British holidaymaker or lorry driver dies as a result of the crisis. | He warned that unless "something radical is done it is only a matter of time" before a British holidaymaker or lorry driver dies as a result of the crisis. |
| Labour's interim leader Harriet Harman called on the government to "get a grip" on the situation. | Labour's interim leader Harriet Harman called on the government to "get a grip" on the situation. |
| Meanwhile, Labour MP Keith Vaz, who chairs the home affairs committee, urged Mr Cameron to hold talks with Francois Hollande on his return from Asia | |
| Home Secretary Theresa May said new fencing was urgently being installed in Calais. | Home Secretary Theresa May said new fencing was urgently being installed in Calais. |
| Speaking after a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee on Wednesday, Mrs May said: "Crucially, what we are looking at now is improving security at the railhead at Coquelles, so we can ensure people are not trying to come through the tunnel." | Speaking after a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee on Wednesday, Mrs May said: "Crucially, what we are looking at now is improving security at the railhead at Coquelles, so we can ensure people are not trying to come through the tunnel." |
| Mrs May said some migrants had reached Britain through the Channel Tunnel this week and their appeals for asylum were being considered. She did not clarify how many had arrived. | Mrs May said some migrants had reached Britain through the Channel Tunnel this week and their appeals for asylum were being considered. She did not clarify how many had arrived. |
| Operation Stack - where lorries are made to park on the M20 in Kent when Channel crossings are disrupted - is due to last into the weekend. | Operation Stack - where lorries are made to park on the M20 in Kent when Channel crossings are disrupted - is due to last into the weekend. |
| Are you in Calais? Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? Please email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experiences. | |
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