London - British Home Secretary Mr David Blunkett yesterday faced calls for new measures to combat illegal immigration amid claims that he had demanded the closure of a Red Cross camp used by would-be refugees as a jumping-off point for attempts to reach Britain.
Mr Blunkett is believed to have told French interior minister Mr Daniel Vaillant that the camp at Sangatte - just half a mile from the Channel Tunnel entrance, and a mile from the ferry port at Calais - "was not helping" Britain to combat illegal immigration.
The pressure on Mr Blunkett for new measures came from the Tories, an influential think-tank and one of his own backbenchers. On Saturday night, another group of up to 100 illegal immigrants was caught trying to enter the Channel Tunnel.
Passenger services through the tunnel were delayed for several hours and freight services were suspended overnight after the group was caught inside the Eurotunnel compound at Coquelles, north of Calais, at around 9.45pm.