Four illegal immigrants caught sneaking into Britain inside 32ft fake Christmas tree



Illegal immigrants hid inside a lorry carrying an artificial Christmas tree destined for a display in Northampton (file photo)



Four illegal immigrants sneaked into the country hidden in a 32ft artificial Christmas tree, it was claimed.



They were discovered inside a lorry at a council depot in Northampton.

The aluminium and nylon tree - and two other smaller ones - were destined for the town centre's Christmas display.

But staff at the depot opened the vehicle to discover the men, and immediately dialled 999.



A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police confirmed that four men - two from Iraq, two from Iran - were arrested and are being questioned by officers from the UK Border Agency.

A spokesman for the agency told the Northampton Chronicle: 'Following their arrest after being found in a lorry, four suspected illegal immigrants were apprehended and transferred to our specialist teams of officers.'

The French driver of the lorry is not thought to have been aware that the men boarded the vehicle.

But Northampton Borough Council denied that the lorry was carrying Christmas decorations, claiming the vehicle was at the depot to pick up paper for recycling.



In a separate incident, UK Border Agency officials caught a group of Iraqi illegal immigrants trying to enter Britain by hiding in a lorry full of ham.

The five men were found in Calais in a Polish-registered truck headed for Haverhill, Suffolk, as it boarded a ferry to Dover.



The men were handed over to the French authorities.









