Thousands of migrants to move into two new refugee camps near Gare du Nord station in Paris prompting fears of mass exodus to Britain
The city's mayor said the camps will be located close to the Eurostar terminal from where trains go direct to London
THOUSANDS of migrants looking to settle in the UK will be able to move into Paris's first two official refugee camps by the end of September, the city's mayor has said.
Ann Hidalgo said the camps will be located close to the Gare du Nord Eurostar terminal from where high speed trains travel direct to London.
"There will be two migrant camps, one for men... one for women and children," she said.
Hidalgo, a Socialist and close ally of President Francois Hollande, said that up to 100 new migrants a day were currently arriving in Paris - and that the vast majority wanted to get to Calais, and then on to the UK.
The move comes as the right-wing council in Calais lobbies to destroy its own "Jungle" refugee camp.
This means that the two opening in Paris will be overcrowded, and are likely to become a magnet for thousands more asylum seekers.
Hidalgo told France Inter radio station that work on the camps was well underway at undisclosed locations "near the Garde du Nord and boulevard de la Chapelle".
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The official UN standard camps intend to provide proper facilities, clean water and shelter for the ever-increasing number of migrants in Paris, who often end up sleeping in groups under bridges and below overhead Metro lines in the city.
There are fears that the French are becoming increasingly frustrated with the situation.
In recent months riot police in Paris have been clearing migrant camps regularly, including one earlier this month underneath the tracks of Line 2 at Juares Metro station that was home to 2,500 refugees.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd was in Paris on Tuesday, when she and her French counterpart, Bernard Cazeneuve, pledged "close co-operation" in dealing with the growing migrant crisis.
"All we want is a home," said Khalif, a 26-year-old originally from Jalalabad, in Afghanistan, who is now in a squat close to the Gare du Nord.
He said he was "extremely pleased" at the chance of moving into one of the new camps.
"It will give us a good base to sort out our journey to England," he said.
"Finding food and warmth is not too hard in Paris, but we need somewhere official."
