Wolverhampton firm called in to help protect lorry drivers from migrants in Calais

The Wolverhampton firm that threw a ring of steel around the NATO conference in South Wales has been called in to help protect lorry drivers and tourists from desperate migrants in Calais.

Zaun, which also made and installed temporary security fences at the London Olympics, set up 13 kilometres (eight miles) of 12 ft high fencing around the Newport's Celtic Manor and key sites in Cardiff for the two-day NATO conference attended by Prime Minister David Cameron, US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Protestors failed to scale Zaun's fencing and, as a result of its success, Mr Cameron is now considering sending the fences from Wales to Calais to help with the migrant crisis for the use of French and UK border patrols.

Zaun's technical director, Alistair Henman, was asked to talk to security chiefs in Calais about how the company could help.

Its fencing would be used to create a fenced off area, manned by police, where tourists and lorry drivers would wait without being hassled by migrants trying to reach the UK.

Recent reports have suggested Calais is in the midst of a security crisis after 235 migrants clambered over fences last week and tried to storm a cross-channel ferry.

As a result the Home Office's Border Force sent the request to South Wales Police for the use of the Zaun fencing.

Chris Rowen, who was in charge of the NATO conference project for Zaun, said: "They want to discuss the various options, from an emergency 4km temporary fence to a permanent installation of 20km of fencing.

"We could have the temporary fencing installed in about six weeks, but we would need about six weeks to make the additional fencing the Home Office would need for the bigger permanent fence. That would probably take 12-14 weeks to complete."

The company said it would be 'stressing the importance of thinking through all of the options' as planning for the policing operation at the NATO conference began a year ago and involved 9,000 officers from 29 of the UKs 43 police forces.

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Wolverhampton firm called in to help protect lorry drivers from migrants in Calais