EIGHT alleged illegal immigrants were detained after being found in the back of a lorry at Poole Port.

It is believed to be just the latest incident in a spate of immigrants attempting to use the port to bypass border control.

Border Force officers and the NPAS helicopter were called to assist police in the early hours of Friday, December 20, following a concern for welfare report describing a number of people inside a lorry at the port.

The eight men, who presented themselves as Iraqi and Iranian nationals, were arrested on suspicion of entering the UK illegally.

Dorset Police said all of the men were assessed by the ambulance service and treated at the scene.

They were questioned by Border Force officers and their cases will be dealt with according to immigration law.

A 52-year-old man of no fixed abode was arrested on suspicion of committing a human trafficking offence, but was later released without charge.

A source at the port, who wished to remain anonymous, said some 30 immigrants claiming to be from the Middle East had been caught at the port in the past month, travelling via Cherbourg.

Outgoing Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill has consistently voiced concerns about security at ports.

At the start of this year he said small ports like Poole “remain vulnerable” and he said he would continue to press for further investment and the use of technology to improve operations.

Dorset Police said matters involving port security were for Border Force to comment on.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Border Force carries out rigorous checks to stop illegal immigration and smuggling.

"We work closely with law enforcement partners in the UK and abroad to monitor intelligence and use a wide range of techniques to find well-hidden stowaways.”

Techniques used include sniffer dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors and scanners, as well as visual searches.

On the December 20 incident, a spokesperson for Dorset Police said: “Dorset Police was called at 12.28am on Friday, December 20, to a report of concern for the welfare of a number of people inside a lorry at Poole Port.

“Officers attended, along with Border Force officers and the NPAS helicopter, and were able to identify the relevant vehicle and a total of eight men were located inside.”