Police have arrested nine people from Afghanistan found packed into a lorry at a petrol station after someone heard a noise inside.
All nine of the would-be immigrants were arrested with the youngest aged just 14-years-old after a motorist heard a noise from inside the HGV and flagged down the driver.
He pulled into a petrol station and police officers climbed on top of his vehicle, which was carrying polystyrene crystal and had entered the UK from France, to find the Afghans inside
Police arrested nine people from Afghanistan who were found packed into the lorry at a petrol station after someone heard a noise inside
Pictures show police on the roof of the lorry as they searched it and the officers found nine males with the youngest just 14-years-old in Bracknell, Berkshire
The lorry driver, a middle-aged Latvian man wearing a red tee-shirt and brown shorts, was arrested on suspicion of assisting illegal entry by facilitation to the UK
The lorry driver, a middle-aged Latvian man wearing a red tee-shirt and brown shorts, was arrested on suspicion of assisting illegal entry by facilitation to the UK, at the Shell petrol station in Bagshot Road, Bracknell, Berks.
Sergeant Andy Fordyce, of Thames Valley Police, said the Afghans were ‘totally cooperative’ when they were caught as he and other officers waited for Border Force officials to arrive today.
‘There’s a week-long operation on catching clandestines at the moment,’ he said.
‘The operation is called Aident but this was just a coincidence. We got the call at 9.25am and officers got here shortly after that.
‘A noise was heard by someone when the lorry was just up the road and they flagged him down. There were nine clandestines, they were from Afghanistan, the youngest was 14 and they were all males. They’re in custody now.
‘The lorry came from France but I don’t know any more specific than that yet. I don’t know where it was travelling to.’
A police officer speaks to the driver of the lorry after the nine migrants were arrested
An officer inspects the top of the container lorry after the migrants were found inside
The lorry driver was pulled over by a Shell petrol station in Bracknell, Berkshire
Police officers were climbing on the Broekema Bulk lorry with torches to try to find the people hidden inside.
Micheal Quaife, who worked at a KFC next door to the petrol station where they were found, said: ‘They pulled men out, it looked like about 10 of them.
‘I don’t know where it came from, it was parked in the petrol station then they were up on the top shining torches in and looking around.
‘I was just opening up the tills and saw police and then they pulled people out.’
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police added: ‘We were called at 9.25am this morning to a report of noise coming from inside a lorry at a petrol station on Bagshot Road, Bracknell.
‘Officers attended and found nine men inside suspected of illegally entering the country. They were seen by paramedics.
‘They were then arrested and are currently in custody prior to being dealt with by the immigration service.’
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