Brit truckers fear for their lives as migrants try to hijack lorrys

BRIT lorry drivers feared for their lives as they came under attack from migrants trying to hijack their trucks in Calais.

   HIJACKED: Migrants attempted to climb onto trucks as the Jungle camp 

   was demolished

Armed asylum seekers are targeting them and attempting to climb onto vehicles.

Trucking bosses urged French authorities to speed up the clearance of the notorious Jungle migrant camp before a driver is killed.

There were more clashes between protesters and riot police yesterday on the French border.

   SLASH: Police grappled with a woman who had cut her wrists

   Police clashed with protestors at the shantytown

Activists set tents on fire, threw rocks at officers and refusing to move out of the way of bulldozers. Police with batons fought with UK-bound migrants in the southern part of the shantytown, which is being flattened.

One women, who is four months pregnant, refused to leave her temporary home while another slashed her wrists.

Some of the foreigners poured onto roads and threatened terrified lorry drivers in a bid to get to Britain.

Police squads fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to get the chaos under control. Some children were hit.

Authorities fear the clearance job may take weeks, which could see more foreigners take extreme risks to cross the border.

Road Haulage Association boss Richard Burnett said it also put lorry drivers at unnecessary risk.

He added: “It is essential that the number of migrants in the camp is reduced as quickly as possible.

“This will reduce the number of migrants and thereby reduce the number of attacks on HGV drivers.”

French authorities have been criticised for their tactics in moving the 4,000 campers to shipping containers.

Tory MP David Burrowes accused them of “inhumane treatment”, adding: “It is carnage. This is not the way to do it.”

French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve blamed anarchist group No Borders for inciting the violence, including a Brit woman who was arrested Monday.

He said “This operation will continue in the coming days with calm and method, providing a place for everyone, as the government promised. “

The activism of a handful of militants and violent extremists No Borders will change nothing.”

   CHAOS: Activists set tents on fire and threw rocks at police

A Calais police spokesman said: “Tear gas and baton charges were used to restore order, and then the gang members were forced back inside the camp.”

The conflict comes as the United Nations said 130,000 migrants had entered Europe this year already.

Labour peer Lord Mandelson said Britain needed to do more to stop the “unprecedented crisis”.

He added: “The solution to this is not just to throw up new fences and new walls.

   FORCE: Police fired tear gas and water cannons to regain control

“I’m glad that Britain has agreed to take 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years, I suspect that will not be enough.”

The “evacuation” of the Calais camp is expected to carry on for at least three weeks.

Evicted migrants have been offered heated accommodation in refitted containers.

They have also been offered places in 100 reception centres.