Lorry migrants in UK passed onto immigration officials

Twenty-six suspected illegal immigrants discovered in a lorry container in the UK have been handed over to immigration officials by police.

Officers waved the vehicle down on the A1 in Cambridgeshire between Stamford and Whiting on Monday, and discovered 26 men and boys cramped into the container when carrying out a search.

The people inside the lorry were from Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Kuwait and Iran, and were between the ages of 13 and 49.

The 54-year-old driver, from the southern port town of Dover, was arrested and faces charges of facilitating immigration. He has since been bailed until 17 August.

A hazardous area response team, three ambulances and four ambulance officers were deployed to Peterborough’s Great North Road following the discovery on Monday, while there was also a large presence of police and fire service personnel.

Five of the migrants were suffering from dehydration and transported to hospital, but later released. Eight of them were teenagers, with the youngest being two 13-year-olds from Syria and Afghanistan.

All 26 were initially detained for immigration offences but released later and passed over to immigration officials.

Cambridgeshire Police reported that they were first informed about a French-registered vehicle by Hertfordshire Police, who said that there were 30 suspected immigrants heading north on the M11.