Two men have been arrested on Friday after illegal immigrants were found in a lorry on a ferry in Newhaven Port.
Sussex Police said one of the men was arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry to the UK, the other for illegally entering the UK.
Six people have been taken to hospital for treatment, Sussex Police said. No fatality has been reported.
A spokesman for DFDS, which operates the ferry services between Newhaven and Dieppe in Normandy, northern France, said: “We can confirm that migrants were found onboard Seven Sisters. Immediate medical attention was provided and as per normal procedure, relevant authorities were contacted. From there on our crew followed their instructions.”
The port remains open and ferry services are running as usual.
The discovery at the East Sussex port on Friday morning sparked a major emergency services response, with ambulances, police, and Border Force in attendance.
South East Coast Ambulance said they were called at around 9:40 in the morning.
“A range of ambulance resources have attended, including our HART team, alongside other emergency service partners,” the service said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Footage circulating online appears to show someone wrapped in a foil blanket being wheeled off a ferry on a stretcher, amid unconfirmed reports the group were found in a freezer van or refrigerated truck.
The Home Office confirmed Border Force was involved in the response but said that while the incident was ongoing “it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
Earlier Lewes MP Maria Caulfield, whose constituency includes Newhaven, said in a post on X: “Very concerned about these reports.
“From my office in Newhaven we can see lots of activity opposite at the port and thanks to the emergency services responding.”
In 2019, 39 Vietnamese died from suffocation in the back of a refrigerated lorry as they tried to make their way to the UK.
It is unclear how many people successfully entered the UK by hiding in lorries. The number of illegal entries detected at UK ports has decreased significantly, from 1,052 in 2018 to 310 in 2022, as detected small boat arrivals increased.
