Between 300 and 1,000 foreign nationals sleep rough in Calais

Richard Ashworth, Conservative South East MEP, expressed his support after visiting the port and putting questions to the town's mayor on Tuesday.

The mayor of Calais intends to open the centre, which does not have sleeping facilities, later this year.

Mr Ashworth had previously said he was concerned the centre would encourage immigrants to try to enter the UK.

It is estimated there are between 300 and 1,000 migrants sleeping rough in and around the town every night, five years after the Sangatte refugee camp closed.

'Impossible situation'

The new centre has been dubbed "Sangatte 2" but the Calais mayor says it will be different because it lacks sleeping facilities and will provide only food, showers and information.

"The mayor's office wants the current welfare sites that are spread out around Calais to be brought together in one place," the mayor's spokesman Denis Duvot has said.

When asked if the plan got his support, Mr Ashworth said: "Yes I think it does because I think that the authorities in Calais find themselves in a totally impossible situation.

"They didn't ask to have these people here."

French president Nicolas Sarkozy was instrumental in closing Sangatte when he was interior minister and Mr Ashworth has written asking him to intervene again.

"I have asked the mayor what support he is getting from both the UK and French governments and to give us a picture of what is going on here in Calais," said Mr Ashworth.

"We have seen for ourselves today people sleeping rough, mainly in the woods outside Calais, and coming into the town during the day."

Dover Labour councillor Ben Barno said the new centre would give a "modicum of human dignity" to rough sleepers in Calais.

Mr Barno, who is involved in assisting migrants in Calais, said: "I think we owe it to them and should not get terribly concerned about the centre being a replacement for Sangatte."