Chippenham incident: 15 men arrested after being found in the back of lorry in Wiltshire

Police vehicles at the scene after 15 people were found in the back of a lorry near Chippenham
Wilts Specialist Ops/ Wiltshire Police/ Twitter
Tim Baker7 November 2019
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All 15 people found in the back of a lorry in Wiltshire have been arrested by the police on suspicion of immigration offences.

The driver of the vehicle, who police have revealed is an Irish man aged in his 50s, has also been arrested on suspicion of assisting with illegal entry into the country.

Wiltshire Police stopped the lorry after being called at around 8.30pm last night and the incident has since been passed to the Home Office.

Officers shut the A350 at the Kington Langley crossroads near Chippenham to address the reports of suspicious activity.

After inspecting the vehicle 15 people - all believed to be men aged between 16 and 30 - were found in the back.

Ambulance service staff carried out initial medical checks on the group and all but one were deemed fit and well and were taken into custody.

One person was taken to the Great Western Hospital in Swindon as a precaution but was later released into custody.

It comes after 39 people were found dead in the back of a lorry in Grays, Essex, last month.

Wiltshire Police said the force was "not clear" about the nationalities of the 15 at this stage.

Superintendent Steve Cox said: "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 and 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."

Additional reporting by PA Media.

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