French police have detained hundreds of migrants in an operation to close their makeshift camp near the northern port of Calais. The arrests took place this morning when police moved in to dismantle a makeshift camp set up by migrants near the port of Calais. French officials said 278 migrants had been held in the operation at the camp known as "the jungle". A group of local protesters had gathered campaigning for the rights of the migrants. Some of them clashed with police as they began to clear the site. There were some scuffles and a few people were arrested.