Send troops into Calais, RHA tells French

The Road Haulage Association has called on the French government to send troops into Calais to secure the port and tunnel terminal if the police are unable to do so.

It welcomed proposals to improve Operation Stack that were set out at a resilience meeting in Kent on Friday, but warned that the plans would not cope adequately when the demands on Stack reach their peak.

RHA Chief executive Richard Burnett said: “This is a crisis and demands swift and dramatic action. It appears that the Tunnel is being laid siege to by many hundreds of people desperate to get to Britain. Tragically, migrants are being killed and our members are being subject to a daily gauntlet of intimidation and long expensive delays. It is also totally unacceptable that the people of Kent should bear this burden.

“I re-iterate my call for the French government to put their military into Calais to secure the port and the Tunnel terminal if the police are unable to do so on their own. By taking this decisive action, one of the main causes of Stack will be reduced.

The RHA also said that a more determined, holistic and co-ordinated approach is needed on both sides of the Channel.

Source: logisticsmanager.com