the number of uk bound african and asian migrants in calais has dropped by two thirds this winter as unprecedented numbers have succeeded in dodging border police and sneaking into britain on one day alone, saturday january 17, 300 managed to gain entrance to the channel tunnel when chaos ensued after a truck caught fire, it emerged at the weekend hundreds more have succeeded in stowing away on trucks which board ferries linking calais to the kent coast many more opt for soft touch french channel ports like ouistreham and cherbourg where border controls are less stringent waiting: less than 1000 africans and asians are now estimated to be sleeping rough in squats and at three open air camps  close to the ferry terminal at calais  the homeless migrants pay albanian people smugglers hundreds of pounds to be ferried south of calais and loaded into lorries at motorway rest areas  scores of migrants gained access to the ferry terminal in large numbers this winter when a winter storm blew down security fences and hundreds invaded truck car parks less than 1000 africans and asians are now estimated to be sleeping rough in squats and at three open air camps including the notorious 'jungle 2' close to the ferry terminal at the beginning of the year when a day centre opened on the outskirts of the port and began serving food to refugees, numbers were estimated at around 2,500 local newspaper nord littoral reported at the weekend that 'it is difficult to estimate the number of migrants present in calais but one thing is certain : it has decreased significantly' the newspaper quoted a spokesperson for a charity organisation as saying : 'we think there are about one thousand, maybe even fewer' hiding: hundreds of migrants have stowed away on trucks boarding ferries linking calais to the kent coast  camp: the homeless migrants in calais pay albanian people smugglers hundreds of pounds to be ferried south of calais and loaded into lorries at motorway rest areas  pessimists at calais predict that numbers of uk bound refugees will increase again to 300 plus during the spring and summer as new arrivals from libya fleeing persecution by islamic extremists start arriving  numbers increased dramatically last summer as waves of eritreans and ethiopians hit the french channel coast and set their sights on the uk there were violent scenes as knife  wielding sudanese nationals clashed with eritreans over territorial disputes  nord littoral points to two main causes for the exodus  one is that 'more men and women are getting through' to the uk the other is that migrants disheartened by months of living in cold and squalid tents have opted to apply for asylum and have been transferred to state run hostels as far afield as burgundy, hundreds of miles south of calais a spokesman for the french immigration department said, ' since september 2014 more than 400 registered as applying for asylum and 45 percent of those have been given protection' making a dash: scores of migrants gained access to the ferry terminal in large numbers this winter when a winter storm blew down security fences and hundreds invaded truck car parks  at the beginning of the year when a day centre opened on the outskirts of calais, numbers were estimated at around 2,500 there are now said to be fewer than 1,000 people living there  at the beginning of february 60 africans were ferried southwards from calais and put up in a former gendarmerie at the town of pouilly en auxois in burgundy south east of paris pouilly is just one of dozens of villages all over france which have been designated to accommodate asylum seekers whilst their applications are being processed  residents of the small village have protested to local mayor bernard milloir at the influx of sudanese, eritreans and ethiopians monsieur milloir called the complains 'nauseating' calais mayor natacha bouchart welcomed the decrease in migrants numbers at the port attributing the rise in numbers seeking french asylum to the opening of the day centre and installation of cctv cameras in january she called on aid groups to evacuate the filthy jungle 2 squat and move migrants to a municipal camp nearby last year madame bouchart threatened to open a floodgate of migrants to swamp britain and called for the uk border to be moved back to dover to ease congestion at her port work is currently in progress at the jules ferry day centre to prepare overnight accommodation for women and children only due to be available at the end of the month
january 17 britain this winter jungle 2 africans france asians the channel tunnel calais   with the beginning of 2015
number of migrants reaching britain from france has soared this winter  hundreds stow away on lorries at calais   with 300 managing to sneak in to the channel tunnel on january 17 alone following truck fire  other migrants use 'soft touch'  ports where security is much less stringent  less than 1,000 africans and asians are now sleeping rough in open air camps in northern france, such as the notorious jungle 2  at the beginning of 2015 that figure was estimated to be around 2,500 