Eurotunnel fails to shut down refugee camp
Eurotunnel has failed in its legal bid to have the asylum seeker camp at Sangatte near Calais closed down, it emerged today.
The company said it was ‘‘very disappointing’’ that an administrative tribunal court in Lille, northern France, had turned down the request for a second time.
Speaking after the hearing, public affairs director John Noulton said: ‘‘It is very disappointing on two counts.
‘‘One, the result in itself but also the judge used legal technicalities to avoid actually coming to a conclusion about the issue we had brought before him, which is that the proximity of the centre represents a significant and difficult problem for us which needs a quick solution.’’
It was costing Eurotunnel ‘‘millions of pounds’’ to keep security precautions in place, Mr Noulton added.
‘‘It costs £10,000 a week alone repairing holes in the perimeter fence,’’ he said.
Eurotunnel made its application today in a bid to stem the flow of illegal immigrants who hide on trains heading to the UK.
Refugees make nightly attempts to either jump on trains passing through the tunnel or make the journey on foot.
The camp, set up by official decree in an unused Eurotunnel hangar, has become a jumping off point for people hoping to slip into Britain.
The centre is designed to hold only 600 people, but there are usually twice as many people staying there, including many Iraqi Kurds, Afghans and Iranians.
