Poll backs FTA call for Calais Camp to be relocated

An online poll has backed the Freight Transport Association’s call for the Calais migrant camp to be relocated further from the port to prevent attacks on truck drivers as they wait to cross the Channel.

The FTA polled its Twitter followers over the Christmas period to see if they agreed that the Jungle Camp should be relocated, with 96% of respondents agreeing it should.

The camp size has increased from 600 to 6,000 migrants in a year and the numbers of drivers fined for carrying stowaways has more than tripled in three years.

The punishment for transporting a stowaway can lead to fine £2,000 for each illegal immigrant found on board. FTA members say it’s impossible to stop their trucks being attacked because of the large numbers of migrants and the personal safety issues involved.

A new migrant camp is being planned at Dunkirk, which the local mayor says will provide more humane and dignified living conditions than the current premises at Calais.

Natalie Chapman, FTA’s Head of Policy for London and the South East, commented: “Planning a new camp near another port is madness – this is a critical trade route where our members will continue to be affected.

“There is undoubtedly a humanitarian crisis here and genuine refugees should be treated with respect and have their cases properly processed. However, the Calais camp is far too close to the road and the port, putting our members’ livelihoods – and indeed their lives – at risk.

“This is Western Europe in the 21st Century – it’s unthinkable that we can’t come up with a solution to this problem instead of allowing thousands of migrants and refugees to live in squalid conditions while international transport operations are put in jeopardy.”

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