British taxpayers will foot the bill for a new £132,000 barrier to separate a town from migrants as they wait for an opportunity to cross the English Channel in nearby Calais.
The fence will be funded as part of the Sandhurst deal, which sees the UK’s public purse fund French coastal patrols, drones, and other measures ostensibly to prevent small boat migrants from making the journey.
However, some of the funding will now be used to construct a 1,000-yard-long, 6-foot-tall perimeter to keep migrants away from the homes and gardens in the town of Gravelines.
Hundreds of attempts to cross the English Channel are made each year from the small coastal settlement, leaving locals concerned about the presence of the mostly male migrant population.
The townsfolk have expressed fears of the rows that erupt from the squalid makeshift camps set up by the migrants.
They claim the migrant’s presence, including littering and starting fires, has "disturbed their tranquillity" and left them worried for the safety of local children.
As a result, the barrier will be erected around part of Polder Park, where migrants live in temporary camps awaiting the go-ahead to make a break across the English Channel.
"The decision has been made to fence off land backing onto residential properties, and it’s happened because people were worried. The cost of the project is coming from British funds," a Gravelines council source told The Sun.
French officials will use £132,000 in UK taxpayer cash to build fence for a local town near Calais
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The new barrier is expected to cost between €100,000 and €150,000 (£88,000 to £132,000), with a forthcoming purchase order to be fulfilled “quickly”.
The Mayor of Gravelines, Bertrand Ringot, said of the issue: “Once they (migrants) start causing disturbance or damage, I have to start putting up fences.”
Local councillor Alan Boonefaes concurred, explaining: “They cut down trees to make fires. It creates a lot of smoke. And that disturbs the peace of local residents.
“This summer, some residents couldn’t sleep with their windows open. Some were afraid to go out with their children.
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French locals have expressed fears over nearby migrant camps
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“It’s moving the problem elsewhere, to a place where it bothers no one. We have no choice,” he confessed.
While many may be able to empathise with the plight of Gravelines, it is unclear how the new barrier will benefit the British taxpayers who are apparently footing the bill.
The Sandhurst deal, from which the funding appears to be drawn, was signed in 2018.
In March 2023, a £476millon, three-year extension for the scheme was signed.
The beaches of Gravelines often see groups of migrants attempting to cross the English Channel
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Reacting to the news, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “When I visited Gravelines in the summer, I found the French police actively facilitating illegal immigration by ushering illegal immigrants on to a bus to take them to a boat embarkation point.
“Now the French are planning to use British taxpayers’ money to stop immigrants bothering locals in France.
“They cannot be serious. We should not be giving the French a penny more until they stop illegal immigrants crossing the Channel,” he fumed.
Last month, the seaside town of Gravelines was the site of a class between French police and migrants attempting to make a crossing over the Channel.
As around 100 would-be crossers made their way to a dinghy in the water, police attempted to stop them with the use of pepper spray. However, around 70 were still able to attempt to break into Britain.
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