Footage of desperate asylum seekers breaking into a lorry on a road has sparked Dover's MP to tell France: "Get a grip."

Panicked tourists have captured the moment a swarm of potential asylum seekers surrounded a Dover-bound lorry, while six men broke into the back.

The film footage, posted on Youtube, highlights the invasion by about 40 men while the truck was stuck in traffic on the entrance to the Port of Calais.

Mr Elphicke said: "These are shocking and disgraceful scenes. They show how the French authorities have lost control of the streets of Calais.

"It is just shameful and yet again highlights the need for France to get a grip on the situation."

The coach’s tour guide assured the stricken passengers, who witnessed the whole scene, that the doors were safely locked.

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“Try not to panic, guys,” he said as up to six men scaled the freight inside the truck.

Once inside, an accomplice on the ground closed the doors behind them - an attempt to conceal the stowaways.

Several others begin pulling at the side of the truck close to the wheels. One of the passengers said: “This is what we’ve seen on TV.”

Video: Immigrants swarm a Kent-bound lorry

The men are believed to have arrived at the Port from an area in Calais known as The Jungle, a make-shift shelter village where around 2,500 migrants, mostly from Sudan, Eritrea and Syria, live.

The footage has been uploaded to YouTube with the caption: “This group appeared out of nowhere and swamped the road around our coach.

“They left us alone but broke into the trucks to steal and try and stow away over the border. Watch the guy in the backpack!”

It comes just days after it was revealed that some lorry drivers are taking enormous detours - as much as 100 miles into Holland - to avoid scenes like this at the port of Calais.

In response, the Port of Dover is adding to its support of haulage customers who are calling for more help with the impact the immigration crisis in Calais has on them.

Tim Waggott, chief executive, said: “The 2.5 million freight vehicles that carry this trade through the French ports to and from Dover are the lifeblood of our economy. As such, our haulage community deserve to be able to go about their business safely and without the growing personal or financial risk associated with it.”

Drivers found to have immigrants stowed away in their lorries face big financial penalties, and the inconvenience of being delayed by the legal process.

Mr Waggott said trade on the Dover route has grown by 20% in the past two years and they should not jeopardise this.

He said: "We add our weight to the call to protect our vital haulage industry and the greatly valued freight drivers who are vital to keeping the UK and Europe moving.”