FRENCH authorities have erected a 10ft wall at a Calais petrol station in a bid to stop migrants clambering on board lorries and smuggling themselves into Britain.

The Total petrol station has been a focus for people trying to get to the UK by boarding lorries stopping for fuel before heading to the town’s port, on their way across the English Channel.

Local prefect Fabien Sudry said: “The construction of the wall is explained by the presence of migrants and people smugglers on this site.”

He added it was a place where criminals gathered to “take advantage of this station near the port to get migrants on to trucks.”

Newspaper Nord Littoral posted a picture of the wall on its Twitter page.

A spokesman for Total said the wall was built at the request of the Calais prefecture to “protect customers, staff and migrants.”

Local charity workers though have criticised the move, comparing the construction to US President Donald Trump’s dream of building a wall along the Mexican border.

Charity worker Caroline, who only wanted to be known by her first name, said: “The wall is ugly and of course divisive.

“This is very political - it aims to show desperate people that they are not welcome here, and that more and more walls and police will be used to keep them out.

“If you oppose such policies, you can get into a lot of trouble.”

There are an estimated 600 migrants currently in the French town, according to reports.

Earlier this month migrants set fire to a lorry near Calais in an attempt to create a roadblock and make vehicles slow down or stop so they could sneak on board.

French officials said a Bulgarian driver was badly beaten up after being dragged from his cab as his lorry was set on fire.