IN THE days when the Titanic set sail there was an agreed chivalric code. The gentlemen of the Edwardian era agreed that the safety of women and children should always come first in a disaster.

Thus, when the unsinkable ship began to sink, there were cries of ‘women and children first’ among the mostly gallant crew.

Where is all this preamble leading to one may ask?

Well, the recent wildcat strikes by Calais workers burning tyres at the tunnel exit has led to an exacerbation of the migrant crisis.

Many migrants are taking advantage of the strike-induced chaos to climb aboard stationary lorries.

This is clearly no place for women with young infants strapped to their backs who may have fled a dangerous homeland.

Therefore this Government needs to step up and immediately grant an amnesty to all the women and young children who are living in squalid and unsafe conditions.

Home Secretary Theresa May should make urgent arrangements to allow all of the women and children through with free travel passes.

Whatever view on migration a person may hold, we need to remember that the British were once world famous for their good manners and etiquette.

SUSAN THOMAS
Magdalen Road, Oxford