In pictures: Clashes as Calais migrant 'Jungle' cleared

Demolition teams - backed up by riot police - are dismantling parts of the migrant camp in Calais, known as the Jungle, which has become home to thousands of people desperate to reach Britain.

While its existence has become a source of controversy on both sides of the Channel, some are also angry at attempts to destroy it.

French authorities have met resistance as they attempt to move about 1,000 migrants living in squalid, makeshift homes

Teams are taking down structures by hand and with bulldozers, in what the authorities are calling a "humanitarian" effort

But while conditions are undoubtedly grim, the Jungle has become home to thousands, with schools, a church, a mosque and other community facilities springing up

Many of the people living there are reluctant to leave, fearing this will require them to claim asylum in France, and give up their hopes of reaching Britain

Migrants angry at the demolition set fire to shelters and threw stones at demolition teams on Monday, prompting riot police to step in

Activists - seen here sheltering from police water cannon - and charities say authorities are simply pushing the problem to elsewhere in the Calais area, where conditions are often worse

Police used tear gas against the migrants, with one local official, Etienne Desplanques, saying a strong response was needed to combat "unacceptable" behaviour from those in the camp

Those living in the camp come mainly from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa. Most are men but charities say there are also many children, some of them unaccompanied, who need help

French authorities say they are offering migrants homes in huts or shipping containers nearby, or at accommodation centres elsewhere in the country

But many of those displaced are choosing to ignore the offers, with some trying instead to board lorries on the motorway heading towards the port - and eventually the UK