As security tightens at the port of Calais, the city of Caen is fast becoming the pressure point for illegal migrants intent on reaching the UK by whatever means possible – usually on the back of a truck.

In a television interview by Victoria Derbyshire on 30 May, the Road Haulage Association’s managing director of policy and public affairs, Rod McKenzie said, “We have evidence of real and present threat to the lives of lorry drivers who are just trying to do their job – getting goods to the UK. Real problems occur when lorries are forced to stop by makeshift roadblocks where migrant gangs attempt to get on board – frequently with threats of violence. We have also been told of threats of rape towards female drivers. There’s no question that the risk to drivers is significant and the situation is deteriorating.”

Asked about the plight of migrants, McKenzie said that although he understood why migrants are desperate to reach the UK the French authorities need to do more to ensure hauliers can operate safely.

He said, “Drivers have a human right to complete their journeys in safety, and while we acknowledge that the police and security forces are doing their best, they are heavily outnumbered. Since the issue of illegal migrants hit the headlines during the summer of 2015, we’ve been calling for the deployment of the French military – only they have the resources necessary to bring the situation under control. Such is the determination of illegal migrants to reach the UK, fencing and concrete walls are only a very small part of the solution to a Europe-wide problem.”

Photo: Rod McKenzie