18 people discovered stowed away in lorry on M1

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Police said: “Police were called shortly after 4pm on August 8 following reports of suspicious activity on a lorry on the M25 in Hertfordshire”.

The migrants were found after the lorry was stopped on Saturday by police on the M1 near Flamstead, north of London, 178 kilometres northwest of Folkestone, where Britain’s Eurotunnel cross-Channel terminal is located.

Nineteen suspected illegal immigrants have been arrested after a lorry was stopped on the M1 in Hertfordshire. They found 18 people inside.

Most are trying to reach Germany and Scandinavian countries.

The incident comes after weeks of mounting tension at Calais as thousands of would-be migrants have attempted to enter Britain via the Channel Tunnel.

“Eighteen people who are believed to have entered the UK illegally on the lorry were taken into custody for their safety”, they added in a statement.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: “Having reviewed the situation in the light of the crisis it is clear that there is more that can be done to enhance the physical security of the tunnel”. He said the continent could not absorb millions of Africans and EU laws needed to be overhauled to ensure those coming simply to find a better way of life could be returned to their own countries. “The new Immigration Bill will build on this and we will take tougher action on those who shouldn’t be here, by rooting out illegal immigrants and boosting deportations”. “That’s our number one priority”. Last month, nearly 50,000 migrants arrived in the EU through Greece, compared with a total of 41,700 in all of last year, according to the latest figures from Frontex, the EU border agency.