Calais Jungle clearance to continue

Workers are expected to continue bulldozing ramshackle shacks and tents as day three of the operation to rid Calais of its "Jungle" camp gets under way.

On Tuesday afternoon a small team of workers wearing orange jumpsuits and white helmets started demolishing makeshift shelters at the edge of the rat-infested slum.

The second day of the operation to clear the camp saw 1,636 people, including 372 minors, passed through the registration centre, bringing the total number for both days to over 4,000.

Some 1,264 adult migrants and refugees were taken by 33 buses to 55 accommodation centres across France, the French interior ministry said.

At least 772 unaccompanied minors have been identified during the two days, while 217 minors with family in Britain have come to the UK since October 17, it added.

Charities criticised the decision to proceed with demolition while there were still children unaccounted for in the camp, with both Save the Children and Unicef calling it "unacceptable".

Dorothy Sang, working on the ground for Save the Children, told the Press Association: "It is unacceptable that the demolition has just started while those children haven't been put to a safe place or accounted for.

"We know from the last time the camp was demolished that this escalates very quickly.

"This is not a safe environment for children - particularly children on their own."

Aid workers also expressed concerns amid reports that unaccompanied minors were being turned away from the registration warehouse on the fringe of the sprawling camp.

One Care4Calais charity worker said she had seen police rip a scarf off a young man's face to judge how old he was.

At least 1,250 police and gendarmes have been drafted in to ensure the eviction runs smoothly, according to an officer on the ground. The entire operation is expected to last a week.

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