A new secure waiting zone will protect 230 lorries while they queue for the Port of Calais, home secretary Theresa May has announced.
She said the new protection measures will also include new fencing that will cover the 2.5 mile queue of freight lorries on the approach roads to Calais. The new security zone is expected to be operational by Autumn, May said.
The move is designed to protect lorries from migrants attempting to board vehicles and enter the UK, and comes after tensions at the French port have escalated over the past few weeks, due to increasing numbers of migrants.
French industrial strike action has added to delays that have seen access to the Eurotunnel and ferry terminals blocked for hours at a time.
“This should transform protection for lorries and their drivers, removing them from their open road where they can become targets for migrants attempting to board their vehicles,” May said.
In addition, the UK has deployed additional Border Force staff and sniffer dogs in northern France, as well as increasing screening checks at Dover for both tourist and freight vehicles.
Earlier this month, May met with her French counterpart, interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, to discuss the migration situation in Calais. They increased the joint intervention fund that funds security at the Port of Calais, as well as provides support for victims of human trafficking.
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