A woman studying at an English journalism school was raped in a makeshift camp in Calais housing illegal immigrants attempting to reach Britain.

Up to 150 residents of the camp, known locally as “The Jungle”, were detained by French police after the woman was attacked while trying to gather material for a photo report.

The victim, who has not been named, went on Tuesday evening to a forest where hundreds of illegal immigrants live in shelters made from plastic sheeting.

It was in one of these makeshift tents, which are frequently demolished by police, that the woman was raped, a source close to the inquiry said. “At this point there is no certitude that [the rapist] is a migrant,” the source added. Ten residents of the camp remained in custody last night.

The victim was still in Calais last night and was receiving support from the French authorities. She was said to be “utterly traumatised and receiving counselling”. Detectives described the attack as “extremely brutal”. The victim was described as “a London student who had travelled to France to highlight the problems surrounding clandestine immigration”.

Police patrols in Calais have been stepped up, with one officer describing the atmosphere as “extremely tense”.

Most of the men claimed to be from Iraq, Afghanistan or the Middle East, although police believe many are from Eastern Europe and the Balkans. One of the camp’s residents, who asked not to be named, said: “Yes, I saw a young journalist with a camera. Lots come this way. The word is that something happened to her in the woods.”

Father Jean-Pierre Boutoille, of the refugee charity C’Sur, said: “There are lots of journalists, including students, who come here to get to the heart of what’s going on, to write reports and produce films. When reporters contact us, we always ask to accompany them.

“We would never allow a young female adventurer in this wood, especially not at night. On Tuesday we did not receive any requests for assistance, and nor did any other charities.”

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