May insists Calais situation is improving

The Home Secretary disclosed that talks have begun with authorities in the Netherlands and Belgium as she toured a £7 million ring of steel surrounding the Eurotunnel terminal at Coquelles.

Carrying out the first visit by a minister to Calais since the emergency escalated, Mrs May is signing a new agreement with her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve.

It includes an unprecedented deployment of British police to work in a joint “command and control” centre to target trafficking gangs.

Mrs May disclosed that Britain has begun with Belgium and Holland amid suggestions that traffickers may attempt to smuggle migrants to the UK through different ports after security was strengthened at Calais.

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire has spoken to officials in the two countries and is expected to travel for further discussions.

Mrs May also said other northern French ports such as Dunkirk are being scrutinised.

The Home Secretary said: “We are also looking at the security of other ports. We are very well aware of the possibility of displacement.

“The Immigration Minister has already had discussions with the Dutch and Belgian authorities to look at ports there and whether work might need to be done there. Of course we are looking at other ports like Dunkirk.”

Zeebrugge in Belgium and the Hook of Holland are seen as potentially vulnerable.

Mrs May said the governments of both countries have been working together with an “excellent level of collaboration” and claimed measures announced in recent weeks have had an effect.

She said: “We have already taken a number of steps that have started to improve the situation here in terms of numbers of people trying to access the tunnel and get through to the UK. But the work must continue.”