Stowaways Stopped By Calais Border Officials

         The stowaways were found inside lorries

Dozens of would-be illegal immigrants have been stopped from entering the UK after they were found hiding inside four lorries at the Port of Calais. Sniffer dogs led border officials to 18 Albanians, three Iranians, two Pakistanis, one Afghan and one Syrian. 

Six of the stowaways were found among boxes of nappies on a Czech-registered lorry bound for Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire. Officers using heartbeat monitors also discovered six Afghans inside a Polish-registered vehicle heading to Accrington, Lancashire, with its load of sofas. All four lorries were searched within the space of a few hours on Wednesday.

Paul Morgan, director of Border Force South East and Europe, said: "This incident shows why we base Border Force staff in France - to stop would-be illegal immigrants before they reach our shores. "Our strong presence in French ports like Calais and close collaboration with the French authorities helps protect the whole of the UK from people attempting to enter the country illegally."

All 31 stowaways were handed over to French border police and the vehicles were allowed to continue on their journeys.


Skynews