Lorry driver arrested after 26 'illegal immigrants' found in back of truck

 
Police at the scene of the intervention on the A1 near the junction with Stamford (PA)
PA
Robin de Peyer16 June 2015
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A lorry driver has been arrested after 26 suspected illegal immigrants, including teenagers, were found in the back of his vehicle.

The discovery was made after Cambridge Police received information about a lorry travelling north on the M11 today.

The lorry, believed to have come from France, was stopped on the A1 near the junction with Stamford, and the 54-year-old driver from Dover was arrested on suspicion of assisting unlawful entry to the UK.

Paramedics were called just before midday and assessed around 25 people at the scene. Five people were taken to Peterborough City Hospital believed to be suffering from dehydration, but are not believed to be seriously ill.

All of the people on board the lorry - thought to have come from France - have been arrested for immigration offences and are being processed at Thorpe Wood Police Station and King's Lynn Police Investigation Centre.

Police are still trying to establish the nationalities and ages of all of those detained, working with the Immigration Enforcement Service.

The Home Office said the stowaways were believed to be Iranian, Iraqi, Turkish and Syrian nationals, with one of them a minor. Those not in hospital are being held at police stations.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We continue to strengthen the security of the border to stop illegal immigrants entering the UK. Using some of the best technology in the world, together Border Force and the French authorities prevented more than 39,000 attempts to cross the Channel illegally in 2014/15 - more than double the number prevented the previous year.

"We are also addressing the wider problem of illegal migration by increasing joint intelligence work with the French to target the organised crime gangs behind people smuggling."

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