France has begun construction work in Calais on Tuesday to build a wall to stop migrants who attempt to head to the UK. The Calais prefecture told local media they expect the construction to be completed before the end of the year.
The wall, which will be 4 metres high and run for a kilometre, is being built near the so-called "Calais Jungle" migrant camp in the north of France. The wall is being funded by the British government, with reports suggesting a £1.9 million price tag. The money will come from a £17 million budget announced by former UK prime minister David Cameron earlier this year.
Many migrants and refugees have tried to board lorries before they cross the Channel to come into the UK. On Sunday, a 14-year-old Afghan boy was killed in a hit-and-run incident on the motorway leading to Calais Port.
The latest census of the Calais Jungle puts the camp's population at 10,000 people.
There are now 10,188 people living in the Calais 'Jungle'. 744 households in the camp would like to stay in France.
Of these, more than 1,000 are said to be children, many of whom are living alone.
Latest Calais census reveals that 1,179 children now live in the 'Jungle', a staggering 1,022 are on their own
The UK government has promised to provide sanctuary to some unaccompanied child refugees under the so-called Dubs amendment. But so far, not a single child has been transferred to the UK under these provisions.
News of the wall’s construction, which the Daily Mail dubbed the “Great Wall of Calais”, comes as world leaders gather at the United Nations in New York for a global summit on migration and refugees.