This is the moment firefighters cut free 11 ‘illegal immigrants’ who were SUPERGLUED into the back of a lorry by traffickers.
The ten Iraqis – including six children – and one Afghan national were discovered when the lorry pulled into a lay-by and people in a nearby cafe heard “shouting”.
Police arrived but were forced to call the fire service for help to open the lorry from Europe because the locks had been glued shut, onlookers said.
The cafe owner at the lay-by on the A303 near Warminster, Wilts., said the migrants had been eating “very expensive Belgian chocolate” being transported in the lorry.
They were medically assessed and were held by the police for allegedly illegally entering the UK on Saturday afternoon, police said.
Dave Thomas, owner of The Willoughby Hedge Layby cafe said: “I was in the cafe on site with three drivers when someone came in and said that there was large banging on the side of one of the lorries.
“A couple of the drivers come in every Saturday just after lunch coming back from the continent and so once we were told of the banging, they went straight away to the back of the lorry to try and open the doors, but to no avail.
“We all knew straight away what the banging and shouting was. It has happened here twice before in the past 15 years I believe.
“Police were soon there as were the fire brigade, but then they had to wait for a special disc cutter to get the padlocks off.
“It seems that there was one who could speak English and the police learnt of the total numbers on board, and organised three ambulances who soon arrived.
“There were 12 police on site by then.
“The back doors had been locked.
“These it seemed had been damaged by both glue and force and could not be opened, and it seemed that this is a typical ruse by the gangs that organise people into the country.
“They get them into the lorry, replace the locks and them damage and super glue such that they cannot be opened.”
“The group had stowed way on the very back part of the trailer and had been feeding on the pallet of very expensive Belgian chocolate that was being carried.
“They seemed to have been very lucky as this trailer was a refrigerated unit, but the section that they and the chocolate was in was at normal temperature.”
Police from Warminster said the children were aged between six and 15, and crew from Trowbridge fire station said a baby was among the group.
A force spokeperson added: “The driver was unable to open the doors due to finding a lock had been damaged so the fire crew had to use cutting equipment to gain entry.
“As a welfare concern all of the group were individually medically assessed at the scene by paramedics and then deemed fit to be held by the police for illegally entering the UK.
“The lorry had come in from mainland Europe overnight and the matter will now be handed over to our colleagues from the Home Office immigration department to deal in conjunction with assistance from the police and child services.”
The Home Office confirmed Immigration Enforcement was called to the A303.
A spokeswoman said: “Immigration Enforcement was contacted by Wiltshire Police on December 2 after police officers attended an incident involving ten Iraqi nationals, including six minors and one Afghan national at Willoughby Hedge on the A303.
“Where someone has no right to remain in the UK, we will take action to remove them.
“Immigration Enforcement is an operational directorate within the Home Office responsible for enforcing immigration law.”
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