Channel Tunnel Camp to Stay Open

A French court today ruled against a Eurotunnel bid to close the Red Cross refugee centre at Sangatte, near Calais.

The company had argued that the camp's proximity to its terminal at Coquelles makes it a jumping-off point for illegal immigrants to Britain costing millions in disruption to services and added security expenses.

It launched its second court action after 500 asylum seekers from Sangatte attempted to storm the tunnel on Christmas Day last year.

More than 130 people made it into the tunnel after trampling down security fences and running past guards. French riot police later used tear gas to push back several hundred more.

Refugees nightly try to cross to Britain either by hopping on a train or making the journey on foot. On January 19, a man was electrocuted and killed while hiding atop a freight train headed towards the tunnel.

An earlier request to close the camp was turned down by the Lille court in September last year.

It then ruled that there was no evidence of a link between the opening of the camp, which holds up to 1,800 asylum seekers, and the tunnel break ins.

The Sangatte centre is housed in a warehouse complex owned by Eurotunnel that was used for storing construction materials while the tunnel was being built.

Local authorities requisitioned it after more and more would-be immigrants to Britain began sleeping rough in Calais.

Originally intended for refugees from Kosovo, the centre now houses a mix of Afghans, Iraqi and Turkish Kurds, Iranians and a handful of refugees from eastern Europe and the far east.

Eurotunnel has described the Sangatte centre as "a logistics base for illegal immigration" and has spent £6m on increasing security at its terminal, including additional guards, razor wire fences, cameras, and infrared imaging equipment.