SMUGGLING gangs are ordering migrants to hide in former Nazi bunkers before they board dinghies to cross the Channel to Britain.
The derelict concrete forts are hidden in dunes less than a mile from the French coast between Calais and Dunkirk. They were part of Hitler's so-called "Atlantic Wall" - built to try to stop the Allied invasion of Germanoccupied France in 1944.
One local told us: "The gangs are using the bunkers as a final staging post for the migrants to rest and prepare for the final stage of their journey.
"Large numbers of them arrive each day and stay huddled together inside them out of sight through the night before leaving early to get on dinghies.
"Police are aware of what's happening but there isn't much they can do."
The blockhouses, on the outskirts of the small town of Grand-Fort-Philippe, include a former anti-tank gun garage, weapon storerooms and barracks. Smugglers take migrants there after herding them onto buses, which are free to travel on, outside a supermarket near Dunkirk.
They get off at a bus stop and are taken to the bunkers, a 10-minute walk away via a park.
Our investigators watched on Thursday evening as more than 70 men, mostly from the Kurdistan region, were led there with the intention of being guided to small boats in the early hours of the following morning.
When we approached the group early the next day, a man who appeared to be in charge demanded angrily: "Why are you here? What do you want? Go!"
Denne historien er fra April 28, 2024-utgaven av The Sunday Mirror.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra April 28, 2024-utgaven av The Sunday Mirror.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
DINE & DASH
No worry Wolves enjoy try feast... as 'no effort Giants pay bill
LOOK BAKU IN ANGER. LANDO
Norris sees world title bid dented as the wheels come off in qualifying nightmare | \"My car's quick but don't expect magic from 16th on this street circuit...
Mum saved my life and now against the odds I've had my own miracle baby
EVERY year, grateful Jessica Chriss celebrates two birthdays.
My bond with mum of Brianna's killer
Esther Ghey thanks murderer Scarlett's mother for support as festival opens
FURY AT WHITE WIDOW MOVIE EL
survivor Mall massacre slams 'biased' project
Talk to your children about their feelings
Tom & Giovanna back mental health campaign
I wanted revenge now I'm fighting to end the violence
WHEN Tim Edwards’ daughter Elle was killed in the crossfire of a senseless gang war, understandably he wanted retribution.
OOPS..WE BOOKED INTO A SEX HOTEL
Kelly Brook on her night in naughty motel with hubby
It's time for Harry to stop living in the past
PRINCE Harry's 40th birthday is a milestone in more ways than one.
A HUG FOR SVEN
Statue of tate Enqtand. boss in his home town to be heated so It's warm to touch