France clears Calais migrant camp

French security forces have been evicting migrants from a sprawling makeshift camp on the Channel coast known as “the jungle”.

Protesters tried to prevent the evacuation which Paris had warned would take place this week.

Up to 800 mainly Afghan men and boys were in the area until recently, hoping to make their way to Britain. That number has dropped dramatically with many leaving the site before police moved in.

But authorities say more than 270 residents of this makeshift tent city near Calais were picked up this morning. Many are in their teens.

The camp grew up after France closed a large Red Cross centre at nearby Sangatte in 2002, under pressure from the UK, which regarded it as a magnet for illegal immigrants.

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tags: Calais, France, Immigration