Stowaways found in Great Bear truck
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POLICE AND UK Border Agency officers descended on Great Bear Distribution last week after six stowaways were found in the back of a Spanishregistered lorry.
The alarm was raised by the haulage firm’s staff at its Melksham, Wiltshire depot, which is authorised to operate five vehicles and 10 trailers, after voices were heard coming from inside the LGV.
The vehicle entered the country at Dover port after crossing the Channel from Calais and was carrying a load of cereal.
Sgt Jim Suter says officers opened the trailer and found “six faces pointing out of the lorry” . He adds: “The annoying thing for the lorry driver and Great Bear is that the goods in the back of the lorry, cereal, have to be destroyed because there is a risk of contamination.” Five males and one female, believed to be from Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, were arrested before being handed over to the UK Border Agency.
No one from Great Bear Distribution was available for comment, but a spokesman for the depot’s owners, Cereal Partners UK, says: “We are co-operating with the authorities.
“As this is an ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”