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President of France Francois Hollande says the Jungle migrant camp in Calais will be shut down

00:00, 26 September 2016

updated: 12:10, 26 September 2016

The Calais migrant camp will be completely shut down, according to Francois Hollande.

The French president made his pledge on a visit to the town today.

His declaration follows an incident in Deal at the weekend involving three migrants being picked up from the sea.

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Migrants at the Calais camp known as The Jungle before work began to dismantle it
Migrants at the Calais camp known as The Jungle before work began to dismantle it

“The situation is unacceptable and everyone here knows it. We must dismantle the camp completely and definitively,” said Mr Hollande.

It is unclear where the migrants gathered at the camp will go but it is thought the government is planning to enforce some kind of dispersal scheme.

But Dover MP Charlie Elphicke gave the declaration short shrift. He said: "Francois Hollande says he will dismantle the Calais camp. But we've heard it all before. The French Government needs to make sure it actually happens this time and that the people they remove are stopped from just moving back to Calais."

Authorities estimate the camp now holds about 10,000 migrants and there continue to be efforts to stop migrants' attempts to cross the channel to reach the UK.

But the French president said the UK needed to play its part.

President of France, Francois Hollande.
President of France, Francois Hollande.

"I also want to restate my determination that the British authorities play their part in the humanitarian effort that France is undertaking and that they continue to do that in the future," he said.

He added that the Brexit vote did not mean the UK could absolve itself of any responsibility.

Mr Hollande was visiting the town to meet officials and agencies to discuss the camp’s future, although he was not expected to visit the “Jungle” camp itself.

Work has recently started on the construction of a huge concrete wall on the approach roads leading to the port, which is costing £17m and is being funded by the UK taxpayer.

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