Calais, France - Migrants have been filmed surrounding a passenger coach as they tried to smash their way into the back of a lorry before boarding a ferry at Calais bound for the UK. The dramatic footage was filmed by passengers, who were travelling from the French port town to Dover.
As vehicles begin to queue up to enter the port, one of the passengers on the coach begins filming as a large group of migrants approach their coach and one of the lorries. After opening the truck's back doors, at least two men can be seen climbing inside the vehicle before another four join in. They climb over the freight inside and are forced to hold on as the driver pulls away, seemingly unaware of the stowaways in the back of his lorry. At the same time, the tour guide on the bus can be heard trying to reassure the shocked passengers. He says: 'Basically they are not allowed in the country. 'Don't panic guys, we have locked all of the doors. Try not to panic guys.' Eventually the other migrants who have crowded around the lorry slam shut the back doors after appearing to realise they too are unable to climb on board. Meanwhile several others begin pulling at the side of the truck as the gasps from the coach passengers are audible with one remarking: 'This is what we've seen on TV.' The footage has now been uploaded to YouTube by one of the coach passengers with the caption: 'This group appeared out of nowhere and swamped the road around our coach. Around 2,500 migrants, mostly from Sudan, Eritrea and Syria, live in a makeshift tent village in Calais known as 'the jungle'. Some have said the situation is so appalling they would prefer to die trying to escape it and sneak into Britain. Meanwhile last month, drivers from Maru International haulage company began boycotting Calais because they fear 'somebody will be killed' by illegal immigrants desperate to get into the UK. Michael Pearson, a driver for the Yorkshire-based company, explained how he was 'frightened for his life' by migrants, who he saw breaking into the truck in front of him with a crowbar. The Mayor of Calais, Natacha Bouchart has been called upon to tackle the worsening situation, but she has blamed Britain for the crisis in northern France. Specifically, she has cited Britain's 'black market economy' and 'cushy benefits system' as being a major pull for the migrants. Tensions in the Calais camps have also led to sporadic outbreaks of violence. Earlier this month a brawl broke out between Sudanese and Eritrean migrants, resulting in 24 injuries, 14 of which required hospital treatment. (FA)