Calais strike: Eurostar cancellations leave Nigel Farage 'stranded in Brussels'

The wildcat strike at Calais by ferry workers, which caused chaos to passengers travelling between the UK and France, also left Ukip leader Nigel Farage stranded in Belgium.

Hundreds of migrants were able to take advantage of the strike at the French port by boarding lorries as they queued to get into the UK following the suspension of trains through the Channel Tunnel and ferries.

The UK said it had upped security at the border in Dover in an attempt to deal with the fallout of the strike.

Thousands have been affected by the strike, including Farage, who was left stranded in Brussels while he waited to get back on the Eurostar during the cancellations.

He eventually made it back to the UK this morning (24 June) after catching one of the morning trains to London's St Pancras station after normal services resumed with slight delays.

Farage used the chaos caused by the strike to repeat his calls for stricter controls on immigration to the UK.

He told LBC Radio he has "two solutions" for how to deal with the immigration in the UK.

He said: "Number one: the EU has got to completely rethink its asylum policy. It just can't offer asylum to people on this scale.

"And secondly, the United Kingdom needs to send a clearer message about illegal immigrants because they know they can come to Britain and work in the black market. They are unlikely to get caught and if they do get caught, they're very unlikely to get sent back.

"The British could at least stop, or ameliorate, the situation in Calais by sending out clearer messages. Unfortunately, we never seem to do that."

He added: "I think we're going to have to find a way that every car that comes back into the United Kingdom is going to somehow be screened.

"If that means it's a bit slower then so be it. We've got to get tougher."

As services in Calais return to normal, Prime Minister David Cameron said he met with the Home Secretary Theresa May and Transport Security Patrick McLoughlin in order to "address the problems" at Calais.

Immigration minister James Brokenshire added: "We have been advised the French authorities are sending further policing to deal with law and order issues, and we will be keeping in close contact with them in the hours ahead."