News

Channel tunnel railway operator Eurotunnel has won the right to compensation from the French and British governments for the disruptions to its operations caused by asylum seekers from the Sangatte refugee camp, the company announced today (26 February).

The decision, which heralds the company’s first injection of public money, could be worth millions of pounds in damages to the tunnel’s operator, which had claimed £30m 

Eurotunnel says it suffered lost revenue and security costs from 2000 to 2002 when thousands of refugees from the camp near Calais tried to smuggle themselves into the UK aboard trains or by walking through the tunnel.

An ad hoc arbitration tribunal recognised Eurotunnel's right to compensation "from the states defaulting on their responsibility", the company said in a statement.

The amount of compensation will be determined by the five-judge tribunal at a later date.

The Red Cross centre in the French village of Sangatte housed tens of thousands of refugees, many of them Iraqis and Afghans hoping to reach Britain.

Thousands attempted to do so illegally through the tunnel, causing frequent delays to services and forcing Eurotunnel to beef up security. The company argued that the two governments had done too little to deter the illegal immigrants.

The camp was eventually closed under an agreement between the British and French governments in late 2002.