31 stowaways discovered in lorries
Thirty one stowaways had their hopes of entering Britain dashed after border officials found them hidden inside four separate UK-bound lorries at the Port of Calais.
A sniffer dog indicated there were people inside a Peterborough-bound Turkish-registered lorry in the early hours of Wednesday - and 12 Albanians were found among the cargo of mixed goods.
On the same day, officers using heartbeat monitors also discovered six Afghans hidden in a Polish-registered vehicle which was heading to Accrington, Lancashire, with its load of sofas.
Later the same morning a detector dog's instincts led officers to find six Albanians hidden among a load of nappies on a Czech-registered lorry bound for Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire.
And the fourth discovery was in an Irish-registered lorry heading to the Republic of Ireland. A dog led officers to find seven people on board - three from Iran, two from Pakistan, one from Afghanistan and a Syrian.
All the stowaways were handed over to the French border police and the vehicles were allowed to continue on their journeys.
Paul Morgan, director of Border Force South East and Europe, said officers work round the clock to keep the UK border secure.
He said: "This incident shows why we base Border Force staff in France - to stop would-be illegal immigrants before they reach our shores.
"Our strong presence in French ports like Calais and close collaboration with the French authorities helps protect the whole of the UK from people attempting to enter the country illegally."
