Watch migrants in Calais help children over fence near Eurotunnel

The video shows two migrant children in Calais being helped past the fence to board lorries and trains bound for the UK

A man is seen lifting a small child over the fence at Calais

(Euronews)

A video of migrants in Calais helping children breach a fence to get to the Eurotunnel has emerged.

The French port has been plunged into fresh crisis in recent weeks as thousands of migrants have attempted to board lorries and trains to get to the UK.

In the video, migrants are seen helping children get under and over the fence.

It comes as Kent social services said the number of young migrants in their care had almost doubled to 605 in the last three months, leaving them with a £5.5m shortfall to care for these children.

If a migrant is under 18 when they arrive in the UK, local authorities have a legal duty to care for them.

Leader of Kent Council Paul Carter said he has never known a higher number of child asylum seekers in the county before. He called for more help from the Home Office and the Department of Education, which regulates children's services in the UK.

The tunnel’s operator, Eurotunnel, has repeatedly called for the UK and French governments to get a grip on the situation, saying “we are trying to run a travel business here”.

A spokesman said: “This is an issue that is really for the Government to sort out. We need to stop the migrant flow from Calais but it appears to be too much for them to handle."

It comes as Prime Minister David Cameron was heavily criticised for referring to the migrants as a “swarm”.

Speaking from Vietnam, he said the UK would not be a “safe haven” for people attempting to enter the country illegally.

His remarks were condemned by Lisa Doyle, the head of advocacy for Refugee Council.

She described Mr Cameron’s language as an “irresponsible, de-humanising language” way to describe the “desperate men, women and children fleeing for their lives across the Mediterranean Sea".

“This sort of rhetoric is extremely inflammatory and comes at a time when the Government should be focused on working with its European counterparts to respond calmly and compassionately to this dreadful humanitarian crisis”, she told the Independent.

Additional reporting by PA