ASYLUM seekers in the northern French port of Calais were threatening to spoil a Peeblesshire football team's 125th birthday celebrations.

Vale of Leithen were due to kick off their anniversary season by unveiling a new retro strip ahead of their Lowland League match with Whitehill Welfare.

The striking red and black strips carry a specially designed 125-years motif.

But the entire kit, which was on its way from an Adidas factory in Germany, was stuck on a lorry in the Channel Tunnel queue.

Speaking last Wednesday, Vale general manager Mark Lamb said: “We are checking with the suppliers every day and all we can do is keep our fingers crossed. The order was placed six weeks ago and the strips should have been with us last week.

“Our sponsors, B&D Roofing, wanted a one-off anniversary strip that would be remembered - unfortunately it is already being remembered for the wrong reasons."

Vale of Leithen were formed in 1891, becoming full members of the Scottish FA six years later. In recent decades the Innerleithen club competed in the East of Scotland leagues before taking their place in the newly formed Lowland League in 2013.

Celebrations are planned throughout 2015/16 with many former managers and players being invited back to Victoria Park for dinners and receptions.

But the backlog at the Channel Tunnel left the club on tenterhooks before their first match of the season.

The migrant crisis in and around Calais has intensified in recent months with hundreds of lorries being forced to queue for many days on either side of the Channel Tunnel.

Despite better security fencing and an increase in police numbers, migrants attempting to reach Britain continue to break into the terminal.

It estimated that the chaos is costing Britain’s freight industry as much as £750,000 a day.

But the delivery problems are also being felt by haulage firms on the continent who are trying to reach the United Kingdom.

Vale chairman Jack Diamond added: “We appreciate how difficult it is for the lorries trying to get through the tunnel.

“We wanted to launch our 125th anniversary year by unveiling the new strips on our first Saturday home game."