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A French mayor has told the UK press that he's certain refugees arriving in his town were actually heading for Jersey.
Pierre Géhanne, Mayor of Barneville-Carteret, told The Telegraph that a dilapidated boat with both adult and children’s lifejackets on board was found on a trailer in a car park near the beach on the same day a large group refugees were spotted for the first time in the seaside town.
Customs and Immigration officers and Police here say they have both stepped up patrols of the Island's ports after being alerted by French authorities at the end of last month that they had stopped a number of migrants trying to leave the Barneville-Carteret area in a small boat.
They say there was a possibility they were making a hazardous attempt to get across to Jersey and Guernsey.
In a statement at the time, Chief Minister Ian Gorst said: “We are pleased that the French authorities acted so promptly. Jersey officials keep in regular contact with their counterparts in France, Guernsey and the UK, and I have every confidence that the Island’s authorities apply all the necessary vigilance in this important work."
Assistant Home Affairs Minister Deidre Mezbourian said: “Jersey officials have worked through a number of scenarios involving potential migrant activity as a matter of precaution. They also continue to keep in close contact with the relevant authorities in our neighbouring jurisdictions.”
Bailiwick Express has tried to get comment from both politicians and Customs & Immigration but there still appears to be no clear plan on exactly how the Island will deal with migrants who try to get across to the Island now that the 'Jungle camp' is being demolished.
In a statement on Facebook Bram Wanrooij, a local teacher who set up the Jersey Calais Refugee Aid Group to fundraise and deliver aid to those in the camps says it's time for the Island to act and address the problem.
He said: "The destruction of the Calais camp does not contribute in any way to a solution. On the contrary, it disperses the challenge, as refugees spread out and find their way to other harbours. Jersey obviously has a real stake in this.
"My charity has warned about this scenario since last September. At no point did we call on Jersey to absorb refugees or take in Syrian families. What we did do was call on the States to deal with this challenge rather than pretending it didn’t exist.
"Is there a continuous dialogue with French authorities that goes beyond just security? Are the States reviewing our legal obligations and perhaps adapting them? By not engaging with this humanitarian crisis, we are effectively contributing to the gravity of the situation."
He says 445 children are now being evicted from camps in Calais and the charity is now focusing on a longer-term plan to fundraise and set up makeshift pop-up and mobile schools in what's left of the refugee camps by June.
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