Migrants Try To Jump On Lorries Bound For UK

Large numbers of migrants have been attempting to get into UK-bound cars and lorries backed up near Calais.

French ferry employees have been staging a wildcat strike over fears they will lose their jobs next month.

The industrial action has caused travel chaos on both sides of the Channel .

Desperate migrants living in camps near Calais took advantage of the disruption.

People were seen walking on the road and trying to jump on vehicles stuck in traffic jams on the A16, which leads to the Channel Tunnel.

French police used tear gas to restrain some of them.

The Foreign office warned Britons driving in the area to keep their car doors locked.

"There are large numbers of illegal migrants in and around Calais, who may seek to enter the UK illegally," it said.

"Although local police patrols have been reinforced, you should keep vehicle doors locked in slow-moving traffic and secure your vehicle when it is left unattended."

Haulier Chris Cary told Sky News he had been stuck at Calais since 3am and described the situation as "the worst I've ever seen".

He said migrants "were trying your doors to get in the cab, trying to sneak under the axles on the trailers, trying to cut the locks and seals on the back of the trailers, even trying to climb on the roof of the trailers".

Truckers were being urged not to stop within about 60 miles (97km) of Calais, to stick with other drivers and make sure padlocks are kept on lorries.

Donald Armour, the Freight Transport Association's international manager, said he was "really, really worried" about someone getting seriously hurt.

"There is a lot of fighting between the migrants who all want to be on the best part of the road to get on to the lorries," he said.

"We haven't had a fatality but it's not good. The situation is definitely worse than it has ever been."

The British Government has been monitoring the situation in Calais closely.

The Home Office said funding was being provided to bolster security and infrastructure at ports in northern France and Belgium.

David Cameron's spokeswoman said: "We are in close touch with the French authorities on the situation there and we are monitoring the impact of the strike on British people.

"The Prime Minister is being kept updated on events."

The strike began in the early hours of the morning, with workers burning tyres and hay bales on the road and closing the port.

The migrant problem in Calais has been growing steadily worse, with more than 3,000 gathering near the port since April, many fleeing countries such as Eritrea, Syria and Afghanistan.