WIREDGOV

Three Eritrean nationals have been stopped from entering the country illegally in a lorry load of chemicals heading for Tyne & Wear.

The stowaways were discovered by our officers in Northern France as they inspected vehicles preparing to cross the English Channel to Dover.

On Friday 27 August our officers at Calais were alerted to the 3 Eritreans by a specially trained detection dog which discovered the stowaways hiding amongst a load of chemicals.

The Slovakian-registered lorry, driven by a Slovak national, was travelling to Seaton Delaval, Tyne & Wear.

The stowaways were taken off the vehicle, fingerprinted, photographed, refused entry to the UK and then handed over to the French Frontier Police (Police Aux Frontier).

The lorry was allowed to continue on its journey to the UK however the driver and haulier may now be liable for a fine of up to £2,000 per illegal worker, if it is found that they did not take adequate steps to secure the vehicle.

Carole Upshall, director for European operations, UK Border Agency said:

'Finds such as this one highlight the determination and expertise required by UK Border Agency officers to stay one step ahead of illegal immigration. In 2009, we stopped over 29,000 individual attempts to cross the channel illegally and searched over 1,000,000 freight vehicles.

'The UK Border Agency's strong presence at the frontier, not only in the UK but also in northern France, helps protect the whole country from people illegally entering the UK and then heading for towns across Britain - in this case Yorkshire."