Hundreds of immigrants at the notorious shanty town in northern France were given just one hour's notice before the next phase of demolition began

Migrants in the Calais jungle camp were forced to flee their make-shift homes as French police bulldozed a mosque a church and a school.

Hundreds of immigrants at the notorious shanty town in Calais were given just one hour's notice before the next phase of demolition began.

Volunteers and refugees had to scramble to move their possessions and dismantle the shelters before they were demolished by the bulldozers.

There were reports the police, who were out in force, used tear gas to clear the crowds before the dozers moved in but these could not be confirmed independently.

Volunteer group L'Auberge claimed the police had previously agreed the mosque, church and school would be left alone but went back on the promises.

In recent weeks, French authorities have been demolishing parts of the refugee camp to create a 100-meter-wide buffer strip between the camp and the highway that runs alongside it.

An estimated 1,500 refugees are being forced to relocate.

Many are being moved from self-made tents and structures into more permanent facilities, created using shipping containers.

Volunteers and refugees have been attempting to move the makeshift homes out of the buffer zone before the arrival of the bulldozers.

Many refugees are reluctant to move from areas where they have established communities and have criticized the new facility as being prison-like.

Others fear the hand-scanning identification system required by French authorities for those who move to the new camp will affect their chances of settling in other European countries.

Calais houses some 4,500 migrants hoping to reach Britain, down from a peak of over 6,000 during the summer.

Refugee crisis: Cops bulldoze church and mosque in Calais 'Jungle' camp