The High Court ruled yesterday that a migrant camp in Folkestone forced migrants to suffer in “squalid” conditions and has deemed it “unlawful”.

Napier Barracks, at Shorncliffe Army Camp, is expected to continue holding migrants who have crossed the channel from France into England, despite reports of “inhumane” settings.

 Claims of human rights abuse, including restrictions which led to false imprisonment and an unfair application process for selecting people to be accommodated at the barracks, were allowed by the High Court, which will allow the claimants to receive various forms of relief.

Mr Justice Linden observed that the claimants had suffered a “deterioration in their mental health as a result of their stays at the barracks.” The claimants have also been formally diagnosed with mental conditions, including PTSD.

The claimants, six men, were all migrants who were housed in Napier Barracks, all of whom except one contracted Coronavirus as a result of improper social distancing procedures. It is also reported that half of the 400 migrants who are at Napier had caught Coronavirus. The men were part of a two – day hearing in April, whose lawyers called the accommodations “squalid”.

Shorncliffe Army Camp was established in 1794, during the wars following the French Revolution. It was also used during the First and Second World Wars as staging posts. Napier Barracks has been employed to house cross – channel migrants since last September, despite facing heavy opposition from local council members. An independent report from 2014 declared the barracks unfit for long term habitation.

Charities such as the Red Cross have also called for Napier Barracks to be closed down in the past, and there are calls for the barracks to be shut down.