Work begins on £1.9m ‘Great Wall of Calais’ in bid to protect vehicles

The four metre-high concrete barrier is expected to be completed by the end of the year

The wall is intended to add a further layer of protection against attempts to delay or attack vehicles as they approach the port of Calais (Getty)

Work has started on the UK-funded barrier dubbed the “Great Wall of Calais”.

The four metre-high concrete wall, which stretches for nearly a mile, is being built along the main motorway to the port in northern France. Reports suggest the project will cost £1.9 million, as part of a £17 million cash injection announced earlier this year.

The wall is intended to add a further layer of protection against attempts to delay or attack vehicles as they approach the port. Work on the barrier began in recent days and it is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill referred to plans to build a “big new wall” when he appeared before MPs earlier this month.

The Road Haulage Association hit out at the initiative, saying it would be a “poor use of taxpayers' money”.

Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, later told the Commons Home Affairs Committee that while the UK provides money to the French it is “up to them how they decide to secure their borders in Calais and around it”.

She added: “It's up to them to decide where they are going to build a wall, a fence, whatever it is they want.”

PA