Nick Hardwick, chief executive of the Refugee Council said:

“Sangatte is the symptom not the cause of the problem refugees face entering Britain in order to exercise their right to claim asylum. If it is closed refugees will still try to come to Britain. It will not solve the inconsistencies of asylum policy across Europe nor address the failure of the French authorities to properly deal with refugees in France.

“This witch hunt against clearly desperate people must stop now. Refugees at Sangatte and elsewhere are human beings the same as you and me and by not addressing their humanity we are witnessing similar scenes to the 1930s.”