Channel Tunnel delays after migrants storm French side

The Road Haulage Association has described the economic impact of the repeated disruptions in Calais as "horrendous".

It said the situation is putting truckers' "lives and livelihoods" at risk as it called for "an urgent solution."

The RHA's Kate Gibbs said: "We have heard stories of drivers being threatened with knives. What I cannot stress enough is that these truckers are not getting the recognition they deserve.

"They are doing a fabulous job for the haulage industry, and the supply chain relies on them. Every member of the public relies on HGV drivers.

...The French don't see it as their problem but we have got to see action."

Around 150 migrants have tried to storm the Channel Tunnel terminal in Calais, causing delays and cancellations to services.

Eurotunnel said the disruption was caused by migrants trying to board a UK-bound freight.

The incident caused a return of queues on the M20 in Kent for lorry drivers trying to cross the Channel after Kent Police reintroduced Operation Stack.

A Eurotunnel spokesman said the incident was affecting freight traffic only, with passenger services running to a full timetable.

He said: "Eurotunnel reiterates its call to the authorities to provide a solution to the migrant crisis and restore order to the Calais region."

The incident prompted renewed calls for authorities to act to solve the worsening Calais migrant crisis.

More: Britain and France pledge to work together to stop migrant 'madness' at Calais

Fresh disruption has hit Channel Tunnel services meaning lorries are being stacked on the motorway again.

Kent Police initiated phase two of Operation Stack - where freight traffic is queued on sections of the M20 - at around 1am and closed parts of the road to other traffic. The Eurotunnel passenger service was also suffering delays due to what it described only as an "incident on the terminal" at Folkestone, in Kent.

The M20 motorway in Kent has fully reopened after emergency measures were imposed following chaos at the port of Calais following a ferry workers' strike.

Part of the highway was closed off earlier this week to all traffic aside from lorries heading towards the English Channel, due to safety fears.

Protesting workers had lit fires in Calais, while migrants tried to break into lorries delayed by the strikes in a bid to sneak into the UK, which forced the Channel Tunnel to close temporarily.

The M20 is once again now open to all traffic.

Home Secretary Theresa May has said that British and French authorities had stopped "significant numbers" of migrants entering the UK over the past few days.

And Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday that he and Mrs May were in discussions over sending more UK officers and sniffer dog teams to the continent to help efforts there.

Ten migrants were found in the back of an articulated lorry parked in Folkestone today.

A Kent Police spokesman said: "They were all fine and taken by police to Dover Immigration Centre and are now under their care."

The deputy mayor of Calais Philippe Mignonet has spoken to ITV News this evening, and says he is furious with the English response to the migrant crisis.

He has described this fence which has cost £12 million - a fence which in places has blown down in winter storms which the French themselves have had to repair - as a 'joke'.

He has described this as partly a "British problem", but also says the French government needs to do more.

They think that the scenes playing out here in Calais are all down to the fact that these migrants want to get into Britain - it is a British problem in his eyes, and therefore it is Britain that should act to try to nip this in the bud.

He has invited David Cameron to come here to Calais to see for himself the challenges, and they are planning a demonstration on Saturday directing anger against shipping company DFDS.