Five people have been arrested for immigration offences after police received multiple calls from the public worried about the welfare of people inside a lorry trailer.
Police were called at 10.50am on February 5, 2021, by members of the public travelling on the M1 northbound.
Officers from Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire stopped the vehicle and found four people inside the container.
They and the lorry driver were checked over by colleagues from East Midlands Ambulance Service before being taken into custody for immigration offences. The lorry driver, a 43-year-old man, was also arrested on suspicion of Assisting Unlawful Immigration.
Inspector Beth Curlett, said: “We would like to pass on our thanks to the members of the public who called police, alerting us to this lorry and their concerns for the welfare of the people on board.
“We will respond robustly to reports of incidents of this nature, particularly when the dangers of people being transported in lorry trailers are so well known.”
All five people remain in police custody.
