London, July 29 (RHC)-- Over 2,000 desperate migrants have stormed the Channel Tunnel terminal in the French port town of Calais trying to reach the United Kingdom.

"It was the biggest incursion effort in the past month and a half," said a spokesman for the Eurotunnel, a societas Europaea that manages and operates the Chunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche, in French), which links Folkestone, Kent, in the UK, with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, near Calais in northern France, beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover.

The unnamed spokesperson said on Tuesday that the migrants tried to enter the area surrounding the tunnel during the night. "All our security personnel, that is nearly 200 people, as well as police were called in," the spokesperson added.

Calais is a magnet for migrants from war zones and impoverished countries who are trying to reach Britain. French police have been trying for years to remove migrant camps in and around Calais; however, the number of migrants arriving have been persistent. Many of the migrants hope to hide in trucks or other vehicles crossing to Britain.

Also on Tuesday, British Home Secretary Theresa May announced that the UK has agreed to provide an extra $10.8 million to boost security at the Tunnel railhead in Coquelles in northern France. She said: "The French and UK governments are working in close collaboration and cooperation on this issue which affects us both."