- .Passengers travelling on Eurotunnel faced long delays after protesters started fires near two terminals in Calais
- .Series of crippling flash strikes have entered second month – allowing migrants to take advantage of the chaos
- .French trade union boss boasts they were again proving they could bring Calais 'to standstill' at moment's notice
British holidaymakers faced more travel misery today after the Channel Tunnel was blocked by yet another wildcat strike by French ferry workers.
People travelling on Eurotunnel faced the possibility of long delays after protesters set fire to tyres near two terminals in Calais, sending thick black plumes of smoke billowing into the air.
The industrial action was renewed as a series of crippling flash strikes entered their second month – allowing UK-bound illegal migrants to once again take advantage of the chaos by jumping onto stranded trucks and cars.
Chaos: French ferry workers stage a protest by blocking the A16 with tyre fires in Calais, causing more misery for British holidaymakers
Employees of the MyFerrylink company stage a protest by blocking the A16 highway with burning tyres
Eurotunnel warned of heavy congestion and long delays on the French side, but traffic from Folkestone on the cross-Channel rail service is not thought to be affected.
A spokesman for Eurotunnel, which operates the Channel Tunnel, said: 'A couple of hours ago the protesters went on to the motorway and started burning tyres at the two entrances to the Channel Tunnel terminal.
'They were burning tyres and blockading the motorway, preventing access to the terminal.
'This was on the public highway, so we called the police and local authorities to remove the protesters and allow access to our terminal.
'The protesters have now left of their own free will - it didn't look as if the police removed them.
'It caused some delays to services earlier on, but most of those delays have now been resolved. We are running full services for freight and passengers.'
Up in flames: The industrial action was renewed as a series of crippling flash strikes entered their second month at the French port
Heated protest: People travelling on Eurotunnel faced the possibility of long delays after protesters set fire to tyres near two terminals in Calais
Some passengers have experienced delays and Eurotunnel said that those who have checked in will be offered the chance to travel on any next train with available space.
Firebrand trade union boss Eric Vercoutre said he and his comrades were once again proving they could bring Calais 'to a standstill' at a moment's notice.
'Today's protest will continue certainly until this afternoon and beyond if necessary,' he said today. 'It follows a meeting we had with the government.'
The round table discussions in Paris led to Mr Vercoutre's union agreeing to lift a blockade of the ferry port in Calais.
But Mr Vercoutre said some 400 seamen still faced losing their jobs and today's action was all part of the continuing protests.
It came after haulage leaders spoke of 'marauding mobs' – some with knives, metal bars and even guns – threatening British drivers who try to get the migrants off their lorries.
Eurotunnel warned of long delays on the French side, but traffic from Folkestone on the cross-Channel rail service is not thought to be affected
Some passengers have suffered delays and Eurotunnel said those who have checked in will be offered places on any next train with space
Many of the 3,000 migrants sleeping rough in Calais have taken advantage of the gridlock to get across the Channel.
The dispute has been caused by the disposal by Eurotunnel of their ferry arm MyFerryLink – a move which threatens the livelihood of Vercoutre's trade unionists.
They have been involved in numerous raids on the Channel Tunnel itself, where they regularly burn tyres to set fire to rails, causing both passenger and freight trains to be cancelled or suspended.
Disruption earlier this month alone cost some £1billion – at the rate of £250million per day in lost business and wasted time and effort, say port officials and haulage leaders.
Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett described a 'desperate situation for truck drivers'.
Migrants climb in the back of a lorry on the A16 highway leading to the Eurotunnel after taking advantage of wildcats strikes last month
A migrant sits under the trailer of a lorry as he attempts to cross the English Channel as tailbacks formed on the A16 near Calais last month
Mr Burnett said: 'Put yourself in their situation - you are on your own trying to get through and you've got 20 migrants around your truck trying to get on.
'They are intimidating, some of them have metal bars, knives and, in one incident, a gun was pointed at a trucker. Somebody is going to get killed. I think things are beginning to boil over.'
Following the collapse of Sea France, three of the company's ships were bought by Eurotunnel, with their crews forming themselves into a co-operative under the MyFerryLink names.
Eurotunnel has now wants to lease and then sell two of these ships to another cross-Channel ferry company, DFDS – prompting outrage among Mr Vercoutre and his fellow workers.
Of the 600 jobs at My Ferry Link, only 200 would be saved by DFDS, said Mr Vercoutre, who said a 'long summer' of industrial action was inevitable.
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