Tri-Service

UK Military Land To Be Used To Ease Migrant Crisis Congestion

Military land in South East England will be used to park lorries and ease congestion caused by the ongoing migrant crisis in Calais.

The Ministry of Defence will turn barracks near Folkestone and Dover, which have large spaces available, into temporary lorry parks whilst the vehicles wait for the green light to load onto a train.

It’s an attempt to relieve travel chaos on the M20 in Kent - the main route to the Channel Tunnel.

It's been closed in both directions due to the thousands of lorries which are currently parked up there while they wait to get across the channel.

The MoD says it’s still assessing which sites could be used.

There’s no sign yet, however, that the Army could help to police the UK's borders.

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The Prime Minister made the announcement after chairing an emergency COBRA meeting on the crisis this morning – which has been classed as a critical incident for the last eight days.

The meeting comes after Mr Cameron, who has just returned to the UK after a four-day tour of Southeast Asia, blamed the chaos at Calais on a "swarm" of migrants crossing the Mediterranean and travelling through Europe.