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A new detention centre for illegal immigrants near Calais has received planning permission and is near construction.
A government document obtained by the Sunday Telegraph shows that Britain is funding half of the cost of the 500,000 euro (£470,000) centre in the French port, where migrants have been sleeping rough as they try to smuggle themselves into the UK.
There was confusion over the centre after the plans were first revealed by immigration minister Phil Woolas last week, with his French counterpart Eric Besson publicly vowing that there would be "no new Sangatte" camp in Calais.
It is thought that Mr Besson wanted to allay domestic concerns about the recreation of the Red Cross camp which housed up to 1,500 migrants at a time at the turn of the century and was closed in 2002.
The new centre will be on a much smaller scale, containing a number of police cells to hold immigrants until they can be deported. It will be similar to the detention suite at Heathrow Airport and will replace a temporary structure now in place at the port.
The letter from Brodie Clark, head of Border Force at the Home Office to Francis Etienne, director of migration at the Migration Ministry in France says: "I am very pleased to be able to confirm, on behalf of the UK Border Agency our contribution to fund 50% of the 500,000 euros cost estimated by the Calais Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) which will enable work to start.
Over the past decade, Calais has become a magnet for would-be migrants from Africa and Asia hoping to get into the UK.
