Video: Gas blast panic highlights camp dangers for Calais refugees

Footage believed to have been shot at the sprawling refugee camps at Calais showing a gas canister exploding has highlighted the dangers faced by the inhabitants as they seek warmth and shelter from the winter weather.

The unverified footage, shot by Verifeye Media, appears to show people clustered around a fire that was already burning.

A gas canister then explodes, with people running in panic from the scene as flames shoot high into the air.

Thousands of people are living in squalid conditions near the port in Calais which has become a staging post for people, many fleeing from war zones, attempting the treacherous journey to the UK.

As winter approaches temperatures in the camps are dropping, and fears are growing that cold weather will herald injuries and possibly deaths as people light fires to keep warm.