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07th Nov 2019

Irish man arrested after 15 people discovered in lorry in UK

Alan Loughnane

Irish man arrested

The truck is owned by a Cork company.

A man in his 50s from Ireland has been arrested following the discovery of 15 people in the rear of his lorry near Chippenham in the UK.

He was arrested on suspicion of assisting illegal entry into the country and remains in custody for further questioning.

The truck is owned by Cork company Delaney Transport, which is based in Glanmire.

All of those found inside are believed to be over the age of 16 and were given medical checks at the scene, with one taken to hospital for further assessment and the others being taken into custody.

All 15 men have been arrested on suspicion of entering the UK illegally.

In a statement issued to the Neil Prendeville Show on Cork’s Red FM, Mike Delaney of Delaney Transport confirmed the truck was owned by their company and was travelling from Callais to Dover.

“The driver heard knocking and thought it was a flat tyre,” according to Delaney Transport.

“He came off the motorway and pulled in to a lay-by. He then heard knocking from the trailer when the truck stopped. Another lorry driver, who had pulled in to the area, came over to see if everything was OK. That lorry driver then heard knocking on the trailer as well.

“The Delaney Transport driver then immediately called the Police who arrived to find 15 people in the back of the trailer. ”

The company said they and the driver of the truck have been cooperating with police and they will continue to do so.

“Members of the public would have noticed a large number of emergency services in the vicinity of the A350 last night while we dealt with this incident,” Duty Superintendent of Wiltshire Police Steve Cox said.

“The road was closed for approximately four hours while we carried out enquiries at the scene and recovery was arranged for the lorry, which was a hard-sided large goods vehicle.

“We are working closely with partner agencies as we conduct further enquiries – I fully understand that recent tragic events elsewhere in the country will mean there will be increased interest and heightened concern regarding this incident.

“I’d like to thank all emergency services who responded last night – as with all incidents, we didn’t know the scale of what we would potentially be dealing with and all first responders showed true professionalism at the scene.

“I would also like to extend my thanks to the vigilant member of the public who initially reported this incident to us – it is thanks to them that this incident was resolved swiftly and safely with no serious casualties.”

Main image via BBC

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