French police use tear gas to disperse migrants at Calais

Riot police try to stop migrants renewing attempts to cross into Britain via Calais Eurotunnel.

3 August 2015, 9:22am

1 min read

Illegal immigrants cause disruptions at the Channel Tunnel in Calais to try to gain passage into the UK

French riot police have used tear gas on migrants who attempted to cross the Eurotunnel from Calais into Britain, Al Jazeera reports.

More than 200 migrants tried to cross the undersea tunnel from Calais on Sunday, after they broke down several levels of fencing by the tunnel's entrance. However, French riot police responded by moving them away from a motorway and spraying them with tear gas.

Thousands of migrants have tried to make it into the tunnel in recent weeks with hopes of finding a way onto a train or lorry headed for Britain, and at least 10 migrants have died attempting the dangerous journey since June.

The interior ministers of France and Britain released a joint statement on Sunday that said ending the crisis that has choked traffic on both sides of the tunnel and harmed trade was a "top priority".

Both countries are committed to tackling the problem together and have beefed up security to deter further bids by desperate migrants to smuggle themselves to Britain, the statement said.

"Tackling this situation is the top priority for the UK and French governments. We are committed and determined to solve this, and to solve it together," Bernard Cazeneuve and his British counterpart Theresa May wrote in a statement published in France's Journal Du Dimanche and in Britain's Telegraph newspaper.

The statement came a day after pro and anti-migrant protesters clashed at the Eurotunnel terminal in the British city of Folkestone.