Britain is to build a "big new wall" at Calais as part of security efforts at the French port, a British government minister has confirmed.

The 13ft high barrier would stretch for one kilometre.

Immigration minister Robert Goodwill told a parliamentary committee: "We are going to start building this big new wall very soon.

"We've done the fence, now we are doing a wall."

Earlier this week, lorry drivers, shopkeepers, farmers and police officers took part in a blockade of the main motorway in Calais.

They demanded that the "Jungle" refugee & migrant camp outside Calais is demolished.

The camp is home to some 9,000 refugees and migrants living in tents and makeshift shelters.

Objects have reportedly been thrown at vehicles travelling to the port in order to slow traffic, so people can get on to lorries bound for the UK.

Construction of the wall is expected to begin as soon as this month and could cost taxpayers £2m (around €2.38m), the Daily Telegraph reported.

It would be placed on either side of the main dual carriageway to the ferry port to prevent migrants from trying to climb into lorries and stop traffic.

It comes as figures released last month showed that net long-term migration to the UK stood at an estimated 327,000 in the year to March.

Mr Goodwill insisted the British government remains committed to its target of reducing that total to the tens of thousands.

He said: "The big challenge is our target which is to reduce immigration to sustainable levels. Sustainable levels means in the tens of thousands."