Two economies and a major company being hurt....

[Workingman]

On the news just now it was stated that the UK is having to tread carefully with France because it has allowed us to have our border guards in France: in Calais. If we push the French too hard they could cancel that arrangement and move them back to Folkestone/Dover and the problems this side of the Channel would become much worse.

What a mess!

If that was the case maybe a temporary closure of the Chunnel would be in order.

I was reading earlier that it has cost Kent police £700,000 and a similar amount for Kent County Council. It is costing hauliers £700,000 per day and the country as a whole £250m per day. Something has to give.

[Kaz]

I agree with Ossie, this is caused by foreign people on foreign soil (France), so why does it have to be down to us to solve it?

[Workingman]

... so why does it have to be down to us to solve it?

It is not for us to solve it, but what other option(s) do we have?

It is an EU problem.

These people have broken international law by passing through safe havens. The EU could and should turn them all back at its borders. There could be no legal challenge from the international community if most of them were turned back by the EU.

One problem is that once in the EU the Schengen agreement, of which we are not part, allows them free travel within the EU. The other is that the UK allows them benefits, and those benefits are a magnet. The benefits could be stopped today, if the political will was there. We could also deport them back to France under international law, if the political will was there. And the EU could refuse them entry, with the minimum amount of processing, and return them from whence they came.

[Kaz]

Yes but until they actually get here, they are the problem of the French authorities

[cromwell]

The fact is that nobody wants these people. So we are very happy for them to remain in France and the French are very happy if they leave France.

[Workingman]

Sorry, but we are not happy for them to remain in France, we want them out of the EU.

They have no right to be here and should be removed. That should be the position the EU is taking.

[TheOstrich]

From what I've seen in the DM article and on the TV news, the existing fencing simply isn't fit for purpose. Even I could flippin' break through it.

The immediate thing to do is beef it up, as I posted before, razor wire, the works.

As for the long-term solution, there are plenty of ideas out there, but as others have said, simply no political will to get to grips with the situation, and it's complicated by the blithering European Union. Can't help feeling that couple of swings of the handbag and Maggie would have sorted it .....

[Suff]

I'm 100% with WM on this.

Criminal elements inside the UK are perpetuating this crime. The only way to stop it is to force these people out of the EU and back to where they came from and make everyone else there aware that the criminals are lying to them.

If the whole EU does not do this then it will never end. For the UK this is important as they will continue to try and invade the UK. So today it's 1,500 people storming the freight platforms. What do we do when it's 50,000?

In fact what do we do if 100,000 of them decide to storm the tunnel and walk through? Although we could water cannon them at the UK end. But what good will that do? They will have made British soil and the bleeding hearts will demand we keep them.

The only way to end this is to stop it now, right where it begins. This is not just a French problem. This is a problem for all the European countries which are seen as a cushy number for people who see no future at home.

It's like a runaway train. If you can stop it in the first 100 yards, then it will be easy, if you let it run downhill till it reaches 50mph, you're going to have a train wreck....