Calais Crisis: UK To Send Extra Sniffer Dogs

Extra sniffer dogs and fencing will be sent to France to help deal with the Calais migrant crisis, David Cameron has said.

The Prime Minister made the announcement after chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee that was arranged to discuss the problem.

He also confirmed plans to use military land in the South East to park lorries and ease congestion caused by the ongoing migrant crisis .

But the measures have been described as "sticking plasters" by critics.

Mr Cameron, who spoke with French President Francois Hollande about the issue on Friday evening, said: "This is going to be a difficult issue right across the summer.

"I will have a team of senior ministers who will be working to deal with it, and we rule nothing out in taking action to deal with this very serious problem."

:: Why The UK? What Asylum Seekers Get Here And In France

Mr Cameron said Britain would work "hand in glove" with the French to tackle the problem.

"The situation is not acceptable and it is absolutely this Government's priority to deal with it in every way we can.

"We have got people trying to illegally enter our country and here in Britain we have got lorry drivers and holidaymakers facing potential delays.

"We are going to take action right across the board starting with helping the French on their side of the border.

"We are going to put in more fencing, more resources, more sniffer dog teams, more assistance in any way we can in terms of resources."

Ministers are working with officials in Kent to find space to park lorries and ease congestion on the M20, where Operation Stack is frequently having to be enforced due to disruption to ferry and Eurotunnel services.

Sky sources say the Shornecliffe Army Camp at Folkestone is one of the sites under consideration.

Sky's Jon Craig said: "The idea is not sending in troops or anything like that, but using Ministry of Defence land to ease the chaos, the gridlock, on the M20."

The Road Haulage Association said Mr Cameron's solutions were "not enough".

"They are just sticking plasters in terms of trying to resolve this problem," chief executive Richard Burnett said.

The Prime Minister has faced criticism for describing the migrants attempting to gain access to Britain as a "swarm" .

Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman said: "He should remember he is talking about people not insects."

Today, French ferry workers set fire to tyres on the main road into Calais port, causing major congestion and sending black smoke into the sky.

Last night, up to 100 migrants tried to break through police lines at a petrol station near the Channel Tunnel.

French police struggled to control the men, women and children, who managed to stop traffic coming out of the tunnel.

Eurotunnel said its French platform was unavailable due to "security reasons".

Thousands have tried to make the perilous crossing to Britain in recent months.

One man died during an attempted crossing this week .

It brought the number of people killed so far this month to nine, according to Eurotunnel.

Meanwhile, Bernie Gibson, managing director of Compass Fostering, said social services were struggling to cope with numbers of asylum seeker children.

She said referrals to the organisation for fostering had increased almost five-fold since last year.

:: As the migrant crisis continues, Alex Crawford gets to the source of the problem: Watch 'People Smuggler - World's Most Wanted' on Sunday at 9pm on Sky News. Also available on Catch Up.