A CONVOY of 13 cars filled with donations arrived at the Calais refugee camp over the weekend with activists calling for Britain to open up its borders to those escaping war and persecution.

Unite Against Fascism activist Maz Saleem told the Star that the refugees and the charities involved were “so overwhelmed” by generosity.

A huge storage unit occupied by French charity Le Secours Catholique is now stocked with shoes, clothes, toiletries and other household goods.

The volunteers departed from Folkstone on Saturday. Ms Saleem, who made the journey to see the camp, said that it was “sad to witness.”

She added: “It’s not a camp, it’s a slum as there’s no infrastructure out there. As soon as you get to the site, the smell of urine hits you. It smells like a sewer and it’s filthy.

“Our brothers and sisters should not be out here. They’re in sheer desperation and are being treated in the most inhumane fashion.

“I’m completely ashamed that we and David Cameron’s government are not doing more to help them.”

Ms Saleem and another volunteer were particularly moved by an elderly man who wore a ripped coat and was shivering from cold. The volunteer discreetly offered him her coat to keep and, after she walked away, he ran back to her to return money she had left in the pockets.

Supporters from Britain also joined the refugees on a protest to Calais town hall. Among them were Muslims from Lambeth Masjid, the Hackney branch of Stand Up to Racism and Facism, and campaigners from Folkstone who also joined the convoy.

Charity L’Auberge des Migrants volunteer Mia said she felt obliged to help as “we’ve created this desperation and we created this suffering.”

She and her husband are both over 60 but work “day and night” to feed people, according to Ms Saleem. The charity was handed a cheque for £1,750 by the British volunteers.

Makeshift shelters — made from tarpaulin, ropes and sticks — are packed into the camp.

Large bins left to overflow force people living on the camp to leave bags of rubbish on the ground.

Ms Saleem said that aid workers should not leave donations by the front of the camp to let everyone fend for themselves but instead leave them with the established charities who know the refugees and how to distribute fairly.

“Leaving donations by the front and watching everyone scrabble for things they need is very disrespectful and it’s causing a lot of tension in the camp so they really need to think about that.”

A “Refugees Welcome Here” demonstration will be held in London on Saturday, which will kick off from Marble Arch at noon. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend.

lamiatsabin@peoples-press.com