One of the large makeshift migrant camps near Calais is under the control of people smugglers, many of them British, reports suggest.
Sky News claims to have witnessed British-registered vehicles at the camp at Teteghem, with one man with a British accent even threatening a cameraman.
Eve Marie Dubiez of the group Amis de Teteghem told the network it was likely people smugglers were controlling the number of migrants at there and ferrying them to and from the outskirts of Calais.
“English cars, all English cars come here, get people to Calais and leave them somewhere 5km, 10km away from the port of Calais and they do what they can,” she said.
“After three or four tries the smugglers ask them to pay again, it’s a lot of money, it is €1,500 (£1,050) for one crossing.”
Behrad, who had travelled from Iran, said the cheapest way for migrants to reach Britain was to try to jump on board a truck, but this method is very dangerous, with some people being killed.
He refused to list the other options “because maybe it makes me some problems”.
Sky News then reports that a man, in his 20s and with a British accent, approached their cameraman and threatened him. The man asked: “So you police or what, what are you?”
When the cameraman explained who he was, the response was “What are you doing?”
The cameraman said he was “just talking to this guy”, but the man became increasingly angry: “What for? You trying to help them? You trying to get them to England? Trying to get them to your county?”
When the cameramen said he had come to “see how you’re feeling,” he angry man said: “Come help me then. I want to go to England.” At that point the recording finishes.
The man then reportedly threatened them with violence.
In recent weeks, migrants have taken to storming the Channel Tunnel freight terminal in an attempt to overwhelm French police. This is by far the cheapest option for them in their attempt to reach the UK. However, an as yet unknown number have been paying people smugglers to get them across.
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