'Dehydrated Stowaways' Found In Somerset Lorry

Fifteen young migrants suffering from dehydration have been found in the back of a lorry stopped at a service station in Somerset.

Avon and Somerset Police said the vehicle was stopped at about 1pm by the Southfields roundabout on the A303 near Ilminster after officers received a calls about "shouts and banging" coming from the back of the lorry.

The German lorry driver, who is also understood to have raised the alarm with his boss in Denmark, has been arrested on suspicion of facilitating the unlawful entry of people into the UK and is being questioned by officers at Yeovil police station.

The eleven men, three women and a 15-year-old boy found inside the refrigerated box lorry - from Eritrea and Kashmir - received treatment and were checked over by paramedics.

A police officer removes clothing from inside the lorry

Officers said they were working with immigration authorities to investigate how the people got on board the vehicle which was travelling towards Exeter in the South West when it was stopped.

The lorry, owned by Thermotraffic, an international freight company, left Sweden last Friday bound for Cornwall.

Carrying among other general Industrial cargo, table tennis tables, it was later driven away from the scene.

The driver's boss, based at the company's Scandinavian branch, told Sky News the refrigerated box was locked with a "bull" lock and could only be opened via the rear doors.

Sky's David Bowden said: "It looks like this was a tip-off. Police were following this vehicle. It clearly pulled into the service station and the police swooped."

Superintendent Geoff Wessell told Sky News: "Officers opened up the back to find 15 people in quite a state of distress in the back.

"I am aware the driver was in contact with his company... and was trying to find a safe place to pull over.

"He was quite shocked to find people in his vehicle and he is assisting us with our inquiries."

Mr Wessell said some of the people found in the lorry could speak English and were able to tell officers they got into the back of the vehicle in mainland Europe, on the other side of the Channel, at one of the main ferry ports.

Most of the men and women are believed to be in their early 20s.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: "Their health and welfare is paramount as we try to piece together with the immigration authorities exactly what has happened."

The discovery comes after the death of Meet Singh Kapoor, 40, from Afghanistan, who was found dead inside a container at Tilbury Docks in Essex on Saturday.

The rest of the 34-strong group of Afghan Sikhs from Kabul, which included 13 children, survived the ordeal. 

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