Calais security chiefs FLOOD land around Channel Tunnel to stop migrants breaking in
IN A DESPERATE bid to stop migrants breaking in to the Channel Tunnel, security cheifs in Calais have resorted to flooding the site.
The area surrounding the Channel Tunnel entrance has been flooded to deter migrants
Eurotunnel has built a series of defensive moats around the besieged terminal at Coquelles as migrants continue to make nightly bids to smash down fencing and enter the tunnel.
The Channel Tunnel operator has already cleared more than 100 hectares of vegetation surrounding the site - which migrants had been using to hide in - as the chaos gripping the lawless port town continues to escalate.
Now dramatic photographs have revealed how security chiefs have resorted to flooding large swathes of land just outside Calais, which were once part of a huge marsh, to deter migrants from risking life and limb by breaking into the terminal.
Eurotunnel spokesman Josh Keefe said: "The tunnel itself is built on a marshy piece of reclaimed land and it was very waterlogged.
"We have let the water level rise and used this to form a network of barriers to stop people from getting to the fences - a way of using the natural environment as a layer of protection."
Eurotunnel is hoping the new network with moats will stop break-in attempts
The entrance to the tunnel has been a constant target for migrants trying to reach Britain
The move comes after one Sudanese migrant managed to walk almost the entire length of the tunnel before finally being arrested by British police near Folkestone.
There was outrage earlier this month when it was announced that he would be granted asylum to stay in the UK, with critics warning the move will only encourage others to attempt the highly perilous trip.
Dozens of migrants have died trying to make their way through the 31-mile tunnel, with the risk of being either struck by a train or electrocuted by railings extremely high.
Migrants constantly try to breach security fencing paid for by Britain
The situation in Calais is becoming increasingly volatile as migrant numbers grow
It's a way of using the natural environment as a layer of protection
Thousands of asylum seekers have attempted to breach the defences surrounding the tunnel in the last six months, with many taking part in co-ordinated attempts designed to overwhelm guard patrols.
In response the British and French governments have helped ramp up security, paying for new fencing, extra guards including dog teams and infra-red cameras which alert patrols to perimeter breaches.
Eurotunnel insists the new measures have had a profound effect, with only a "tiny handful" of migrants making their way through to the UK since they were introduced.
Mr Keefe said: "The extra security has worked really well after the summer peak. The fencing is difficult to break through or get over, and we also have 460 police providing a strong screen.
"There have been hardly any break ins since October."
French authorities have given up to 2,000 migrants in the notorious Jungle camp until Thursday to leave their improvised tent homes and move into new accommodation comprised of converted shipping containers.
But so-called community leaders in the crime-ridden camp have penned a hand-written note refusing to budge, raising the ugly prospect of yet more violent confrontations between refugees and riot police.