A NEWPORT haulage firm says the immigrant crisis in Calais is causing them to lose around £100,000 a month.

This figure comes from delays getting across the Channel meaning trips take longer and less can be made, as well as from damage to vehicles as migrants try to enter lorries.

Katie Marsh, operations manager at MCL Logistics in Newport, said the problem had been going on for a long time but had recently increased in severity.

Around 5,000 migrants are estimated to be waiting at the Port of Calais attempting to get across from France to England. Some have been pictured stowing away on lorries and trying to storm the Channel Tunnel.

Many of the migrants come from war-torn countries like Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea and say they left because they had no choice and wanted to find a better future.

“Drivers are delayed which means they can’t undertake as many trips”, Ms Marsh said. “We also have damage to the vehicles with people breaking the locks and containers. Although we have a robust system of security people always find to get on board.

“This needs addressing quickly. As hauliers we get fined if there are immigrants in the back but there is no control there to stop people getting in.

“If migrants get into the back of a trailer and damage the goods our insurance covers the cost but our premiums then go up.”

The company is in a better position than some as it does not rely solely on European operations, she said, but around one third of the trade is from this.

She said one of their drivers Dai Martin had described opening the doors to his trailer, shining a torch and seeing eyes looking back at him. The situation was frightening for drivers because they didn’t know if they were safe.

Meanwhile Monmouth David Davies MP has backed calls for British soldiers to man the entrance to the tunnel in France.

But the impact of the chaos is set to last all summer, David Cameron has warned as he launched the Government's latest attempt to get a grip on the crisis.

He pledged fresh measures to boost security in the French port, including extra sniffer dogs and fencing, and said options to relieve chronic traffic on the M20 are being considered.

Following a Cobra meeting yesterday morning, Cameron confirmed the Ministry of Defence will use land around Folkestone as a temporary parking space, allowing some relief for the heavily congested motorway.