The fate of the controversial Sangatte refugee camp could be ruled on by a French court next week, a spokeswomen for Eurotunnel said yesterday.
The Channel Tunnel operator has launched a legal bid to shut the camp used by hundreds of asylum seekers, some of whom try to break into its terminal each night.
An administrative court in Lille is hearing the case on September 11th and a decision is expected soon afterwards.
The British Home Secretary, Mr David Blunkett, will hold talks on the growing refugee crisis with his French counterpart on the day after the court sits. Mr Blunkett has promised to "try to get a grip" on the situation in talks with French Interior Minister, Mr Daniel Vaillant. Mr Blunkett is said to be unhappy about proposals to build a second refugee camp in Dunkirk and is thought to have asked the French privately to shut Sangatte.
The camp, which is run by the International Red Cross and currently holds around 1,600 asylum seekers, is based in a Eurotunnel warehouse requisitioned by French authorities in 1999.
A writ has been issued by the company to overturn the requisition and regain control of the building which is less than two miles away from Eurotunnel's Calais terminal. The writ claims that using the warehouse as a refugee camp was "incompatible" with the French government's duty to ensure the terminal's security.
"Every night we have 100 to 150 people trying to get into our terminal," the Eurotunnel spokeswoman said.