French police start destroying illegal Calais camp full of 800 migrants desperate to cross the Channel to Britain

French police today began destroying an illegal camp full of around 800 migrants hoping to get to Britain on boats costing up to £6,500 a voyage in 'smooth sea conditions'.

The operation in Calais on Tuesday was the biggest of its kind since the dismantling of the so-called 'Jungle' four years ago, and led to 21 arrests.

'Police accompanied by council staff entered the camp by Calais hospital at around 7am,' said an eye-witness working for a local refugee charity.

'Those living in the camp were lined up and put on buses, which took them away to other parts of France.

'Then demolition teams moved on and began smashing up tents and bivouacs which had been used for shelter.'

French police evacuate some 800 migrants after they dismantled their camp located near the hospital in Calais, northern France 

The operation in Calais on Tuesday was the biggest of its kind since the dismantling of the so-called 'Jungle' four years ago, and led to 21 arrests

A spokesman for the Calais prefecture confirmed that 21 unnamed suspects had been taken into custody for questioning about people smuggling rackets.

They were charging the equivalent of up to £6,000 to get to Britain by boat on a calm day, and £2,700 when rough.

Sea crossings in dinghies have become the most popular means of getting to the UK since security was stepped up on ferries, and inside the Channel Tunnel.

Those living in the camp were mainly young men from countries such as Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea and Iran who wanted to get to Britain to claim asylum.

In all, there were only around 40 women and children among the 800, said the spokesman.

These figures compared to some 9000 migrants in total in the days of 'The Jungle' – a vast camp that was set up on waste land on the eastern suburbs of Calais.

Those living in the camp were mainly young men from countries such as Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea and Iran who wanted to get to Britain to claim asylum

Many are believed to have escaped the round-up and will now wander the streets of Calais

It was torched in 2016 following another mass evacuation carried out by police.

The Pas-de-Calais prefecture said there were about 500 tents at the site, with conditions posing 'serious problems of security, health and tranquility', particularly for staff and patients of a nearby health centre. 

As Tuesday's evacuation was under way, migrants queued for buses grouped by nationality, as tents, duvets, blankets, shoes and clothes were left behind in the undergrowth. 

Discussing the operation, Pas-de-Calais prefect Louis Le Franc said: 'We want to avoid any new concentration of migrants, and Calais becoming a meeting spot for them. 

'We are studying with the Mayor of Calais what else it will be possible to do,' said Mr Le Franc, who confirmed it was 'the biggest and most important' evacuation since 2016.

'In my eyes, this is first and foremost a sheltering operation,' said Mr Le Franc.

'The migrants have been living in a wood in extremely difficult conditions. It was important to get them all out before winter.'

Migrants carry duvets and bags as police move them from a Calais camp in the largest operation since the removal of the memorable Jungle

He said some 150 migrants would be provided temporary accommodation in the Pas-de-Calais, while the rest would go to reception centres in other parts of France.

'Our objective is also to actively fight against people smugglers and the exploitation of human misery', said Mr Le Franc.

He confirmed that migrants were currently paying up to €7,000 (£6,400) for a boat crossing 'in good sea conditions', and €3,000 (£2,700) 'in bad'.

Maya Konforti, of local charity Migrant Shelter, said: 'They're evacuating and cordoning off this area, but people will come back in a few days and settle down a little further away.

'They spend a fortune, moving dozens of buses, and the police, and it is absolutely useless.'

Yolaine Bernard of the Salam association said many had escaped Tuesday's roundup, and will now wander the streets of Calais 'without a blanket, without a tent. They no longer have anything, no more clothes.'

It is estimated by the local authorities that there are currently around 1,000 UK-bound migrants living in the Calais area. 

Northern France has long been a magnet for people seeking to smuggle themselves to Britain in small boats or in one of the tens of thousands of trucks and cars that cross over daily on ferries and trains.

In August, a Sudanese teenager drowned while trying to reach Britain with a friend in an inflatable boat.