16 Friday Aug 2019
Posted in Sites
Tags
#motorhomes, @motorhmenews, Calais, chrismacgowan, Christopher Macgowan, France, montreuil-sur-mer, motorhome, motorhomenews
Montreuil sur Mer is about an hour from Calais and is an attractive small town with plenty of bars and bistros and a town rampart you can walk most of the way round. For me, the killer app however is the aire which is no more than two hundred metres from the town square.
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
26 Friday Aug 2016
Tags
#frenchaires, aires, Calais, chrismacgowan, Christopher Macgowan, macgowan, montreuil-sur-mer, motorhome
Montreuil sur Mer is about an hour south west of Calais and is one of my favourite stopping places – either on the aire which is a hundred metres from the town or on the excellent site which is at the bottom of the very steep hill. On numerous occasions at the end of a long evening I have been grateful for the down hill ramble to the site knowing only too well an uphill yomp by then would have been impossible. But of course for me the aire is best.
Sur Mer is a bit of a misnomer because the sea is nowhere near having receded several kilometres several hundred years ago. It’s a lovely town, very much unspoilt and this time I wandered in for breakfast the next morning and before I knew it a couple of hours had slid by and it was time to head for Calais. It’s just that sort of place.
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
31 Thursday Mar 2016
Posted in General
Tags
The past 24 hours have seen a further serious breakdown in law and order at Calais as approximately 150 migrants, some armed with iron bars, attempted to board UK-bound trucks heading towards the Eurotunnel and resulted in the tragic death of a migrant as a result of being hit by an heavy goods vehicle.
It appears that this latest incident was caused by the impact of what was happening locally as part of a national strike which caused HGVs to back up in an unprotected area and made them more vulnerable to attack.
Commenting, Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett said: “We are saddened by the news that a migrant was killed but we have two questions to ask of the authorities in France.
“First, given that the queues of lorries in an unprotected area was a predictable consequence of the strike, why were measures not put in place to provide adequate security for drivers in the Calais area?
“Second, can we have firm assurance that drivers will not go unprotected when there is such a clear risk in future?
“Calais Region President Xavier Bertrand has worked hard to start to restore security and confidence in the Calais route, including the clearance of the unregulated part of the migrant camp. The events of the past 24 hours are a serious setback to those efforts and must not be allowed to be repeated.”
Road Haulage Association @RHANews
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
19 Saturday Dec 2015
Tags
burnett, Calais, Christopher Macgowan, EU, ferry, gendarmerie, migrants, motorhome, motorhomenews, RHA, road haulage association
The Road Haulage Association (@RHANews) is extremely concerned that despite the deployment of 1,300 French riot police and gendarmerie at Calais, the reality is that with approximately 300 operating at any one time, they are now massively outnumbered by 18:1. And as the number of economic migrants, political refugees and asylum seekers congregating at the Port increases, the minimal effectiveness of the available security force is decreasing correspondingly.
“Even if the entire security contingent was to be deployed at any one time, the ratio would still be hard pressed to cope at 5:1,” said RHA chief executive Richard Burnett (@RHARichardB).
“The level of security currently in place barely scratches the surface of the problem. It’s therefore hardly surprising that recent days have seen incidents of violence and attacks on trucks far worse than have been seen in recent months. And with Christmas produce still travelling across the Channel, the next few days will inevitably see a concerted push by migrants to reach the UK.
“This situation is now deteriorating by the day and we have received reports from members telling us that their drivers are being subjected to the most horrifying acts of violence and intimidation. These include physical attacks and threats from migrants wielding knives, hammers and baseball bats.
“If the tables were turned and drivers were faced with the same level of threat on this side of the Channel, I am convinced that our security forces would be deployed in sufficient numbers to quickly contain and control the situation. Therefore why is it that the French government, with its far greater level of security resource, is unable to restore law and order at Calais?
“We welcome the measures being taken to process migrants but it’s not happening fast enough. Current estimates are that despite 50 migrants being processed for resettlement on a weekly basis, these are replaced with another 150 each week.
“90 per cent of goods moving from mainland Europe to the UK are carried on the back of a truck and we are appalled that despite our pleas for action, nothing is being done to ensure that these trucks and, more importantly the drivers themselves, can complete their journey safely and securely.”
“We need a firm commitment from government that it will push its EU counterparts to take action. We also need to know when an increase in security will be implemented.
“This is not what our drivers signed up for,” concluded Mr Burnett. “We are fully aware that the UK government is working with its EU counterparts to address the situation ‘at source’ but that will come as little comfort to the 5,000 HGV drivers that travel to the UK through Calais each day in fear for their lives.”
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
28 Saturday Feb 2015
Posted in Travel
Coming through Calais today on my way home it was an absolute delight not to encounter loads of people in nearby fuel stations and on the roads into the port trying to jump into my motorhome or attach themselves beneath it. Not one.
I know the UK government has offered some financial assistance to the town of Calais to deal with what was becoming an intolerable problem and it seems to be working. The makeshift camps have gone to the relief of Calais residents and I felt very much more relaxed going through the port.
My motorhome was pulled to one side and examined by the UK Border Agency – the officer told me it was his dream to own a motorhome himself one day so we had a brief exchange of ideas on fixed beds and shower room sizes while he completed the search but I did sense that whilst vigilance is called for, some of the pressure is off. When I arrived in France earlier in the week I noticed a five mile queue of trucks waiting to get into the port by a slightly different route and I suspect this too is all part of the effort to reduce the number of people attempting to get into the UK unlawfully.
Life is definitely getting more complicated for us all because not only are we trying to eliminate illegal arrivals we are also trying to limit the numbers leaving the UK to join terrorist outfits mainly in Syria. I concluded that in comparison to the weighty issues the Border Agency staff are dealing with in Calais my brief visit to Montreuil and Vimy was distinctly mundane. And long may that continue.
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
27 Friday Feb 2015
Posted in Sites
Am in France this week.
The overnight stop next to the Calais ferries fills up in the evening even in February – but is lightly populated during the day. I always use it as it has restaurants and take-aways within 200 metres. Those of you who know it well will spot some fencing and earthworks on the left hand side of my photo – that used to be the pay for regular site – but sadly it is no more and whatever the good people of Calais are doing with it, it has so far taken them two years to get this far!! Doubtless all will be revealed and one day I will get to hear – if I’m spared!!!
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
01 Wednesday Jun 2011
Posted in General
Old habits die hard!
Invariably on my last evening before crossing back from France into the UK I stay at the Calais Camping Car Park (€7) right along side the ferries. Adjacent to the car park is the excellent Cote D’Argent restaurant which rounds off any holiday in some style.
In the morning we all bolt round to the ferries via Sangatte; it’s a tradition!!
Christopher Macgowan
twitter: motorhomenews
