Ministry of Defence land could be
made available to help relieve traffic problems in Kent caused by the
migrant crisis in Calais, the BBC understands.
Plans to make land
available are in "very early stages", sources suggested, with thousands
of lorries still queuing on the M20 due to Channel disruptions.
The backlog has grown as migrants made fresh attempts to enter the tunnel on a fourth night of incidents in Calais.
PM David Cameron will chair a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee later.
The
prime minister - who has completed a four-day tour of South East Asia -
will consider how some 6,000 lorries stacked on the M20 could be moved
onto other sites.
On Thursday, he said the UK would not become as
"safe haven" for migrants, saying the current situation had been caused
by a "swarm" of migrants crossing the Mediterranean and travelling
through Europe.
At the scene
Lucy Williamson, BBC correspondent, in Calais
After
dark, the nature of Calais' challenge becomes clear. Hundreds of
migrants walking together along the highway that leads to the Tunnel
site.
To get there they need to cross several fences and avoid security patrols.
Well before midnight groups of several dozen were struggling under the freshly repaired fencing along Calais' railway line.
Some
here have been discouraged by the growing number of police and
television cameras. "The mood just doesn't feel right", one man told me.
But their long term goals remain and all the signs are that this
week's new challenges - larger groups of migrants, better organised
incursions - are becoming Calais's new routine.
Continued disruption
Sources suggested land could be released for an alternative lorry park to help ease the backlog - as Operation Stack remains in place - but MoD sources dismissed reports that service personnel were poised to play any significant role.
Potential locations under discussions included the disused Manston Airport, in Kent.
BBC
correspondent Ross Hawkins said permanent secretary Mark Sedwill, the
most senior civil servant at the Home Office, held a series of meetings
in Kent on Thursday.
"Politicians and officials alike know they must both act, and be seen to be taking control," our correspondent added.
Disruption
close to the Channel Tunnel has continued as thousands of attempts have
been made by migrants this week to get into the Channel Tunnel, with
people gathering at fencing at its freight terminal in Calais.
On
Thursday night, the BBC witnessed hundreds of people unsuccessfully
push through police lines near the Eurotunnel terminal, before being
escorted off the tracks.
Thousands of migrants have tried to enter the Channel Tunnel this week
Eurotunnel says incursions are now a nightly occurrence
The leader of Kent County
Council has met Home Office officials to request support in dealing with
the arrival of hundreds of young migrants in Dover.
Paul Carter
said a "massive logistical exercise" was under way in Kent, with the
surge in the number of migrants arriving set to continue.
In the last three months, the number of under-18 asylum seekers in the care of Kent County Council has nearly doubled to 605.
Mr
Carter said the council faced a £5.5m shortfall in covering care costs
and it was asking for help "from Theresa May down" to manage the crisis.
On
Thursday, police officers from neighbouring forces were deployed to
Kent to help with Operation Stack - with the county's police and crime
commissioner saying officers were "tired and exhausted after many weeks
of long shifts in difficult conditions".
New fencing supplied by
the UK government is being put up on Eurotunnel's French side and is
expected to be completed in the coming days.
Eurotunnel said other
high-security fencing it was installing around the platforms at
Coquelles, near Calais, was now in place and became operational on
Thursday.
Are you in Calais? Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? Please email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experiences.
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