Dehydrated Stowaways Discovered in Lorry at Service Station, German Driver Arrested

A lorry containing 15 people reportedly suffering from dehydration was stopped and searched near a motorway service station earlier today, according to Avon and Somerset Police.

Sky News reports that the people inside are currently receiving treatment, and immigration authorities are investigating their point of origin before they reach the UK.

The story comes shortly on the back of that of a metal container in Tillbury which contained 35 Afghans who were 20 minutes from death following an illegal attempt to get into Britain.

Avon and Somerset Police issued a statement claiming that the lorry was stopped at around 1pm just off the A303 near Taunton in Southwest England.

A local newspaper reporter Daniel Milligan said: “There appears to be 20 or 30 people in the back of the HGV. There’s a heavy police presence at the scene and it also looks like people are not being allowed in or out of the Travelodge at the services.”

So far just one man from Germany has been arrested on suspicion of facilitating the unlawful entry of people into the UK. The man is believed to be the driver of the vehicle which is owned by the German headquartered logistic group Thermotraffic GmbH, which is a part of the Japanese firm Nichirei.

Breitbart London spoke to Thermotraffic’s UK office which claimed that it had lost contact with their head office in Germany. They also claimed that the business employs both agency drivers and in-house staff, and that it was unclear at this point whether the driver was and internal or external driver.

Twelve men, and three women on board were described as being from Eritrea and Kashmir have been received by ambulance crews and police. 

The police were informed of the incident by a driver behind the lorry, who reported banging from within. Police also confirmed that the driver pulled over in a helpful manner in order to facilitate the police swoop. He is currently being interviewed at Yeovil police station and has been described as in a state of “shock”.