French police clear migrant camps in Calais

Travelling thousands of miles across countless borders and checkpoints, many migrant workers in the Calais immigration centre have said they have a better chance of work in the UK, than elsewhere in Europe.

Yet despite entry denials, the migrants are reluctant to leave and are now seeing their camps dismantled by riot police.

ITV News' International Affairs Editor Rageh Omaar reports:

More: French police clear migrant camps in Calais

Medical charity Doctors of the World (Médecins du Monde) has criticised the clearing and evicting of hundreds of refugees, mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea, from their makeshift camps in Calais.

Read: Bulldozers begin clearing refugee camp in Calais

The charity says evicting the vulnerable migrants could have serious health consequences for both evicted migrants and the wider community. UK Director Leigh Daynes said:

International Programme manager Gareth Walker said the eviction risks spreading the scabies epidemic, not containing it.

The majority of the migrants moved from the makeshift camps in Calais are sheltering temporarily in a food distribution centre, Jean-Francois Corty the director of medical aid group Doctors of the World told ITV News.

Doctors of the World have been at the camp treating some of the migrants for scabies. Mr Francois Corty told ITV News:

"Last night we started to give some treatment for scabies, and a few migrants have caught it, and today the police came in riot gear to dismantle their shelter.

"They are confused about what is going on, they will not be arrested for the moment, we don't know what will happen after that, they are staying in the food distribution centre, for the moment."

More: Migrants 'attempted to cross the Channel ahead of camp clearing'

Aid organisations said migrants camped in Calais had made last-ditch attempts to cross the Channel ahead of today's operation.

Read: Bulldozers begin clearing refugee camp in Calais

Border police were said to have spotted groups of up to 40 people hiding in bushes along roads leading to the port.

Some were attempting to jump on lorries as they slowed down.

Watch: Migrants in Calais 'don't trust French authorities'

French police in Calais are clearing around 800 migrants from the ferry port, claiming an outbreak of scabies in their makeshift camp.

ITV News' International Affairs Editor Rageh Omaar, who witnessed the evictions today, says that the asylum seekers - most of whom are trying to get to Britain - don't trust the word of French authorities.

ITV News' International Affairs Editor Rageh Omaar is at a migrant camp in Calais that is being cleared by French police after authorities claimed there had been a scabies outbreak at the site:

More: Police begin dismantling makeshift Calais migrant camps

ITV News cameraman Daniel Demoustier is at a migrant camp in Calais where he says refugees are been told by the French government that they will have to take a shower and will be offered a hotel or apartment.

The conditions at the camp have lead to an outbreak of the highly contagious skin disease scabies.

More: Police plan to dismantle makeshift Calais migrant camps

ITV News cameraman Daniel Demoustier is at a migrant camp in Calais:

ITV News cameraman Daniel Demoustier is at a migrant camp in Calais:

ITV News camereman Daniel Demoustier said riot police had arrived at a refugee camp in Calais as authorities planned to dismantle the gatherings.