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Migrants found in Walsall lorry remain in custody

Five suspected illegal immigrants discovered in the back of a refrigerated lorry in Walsall remain in police custody - with a sixth in hospital having suffered two broken ankles.

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West Midlands Police received a 999 call at around 3.15pm Tuesday from a member of the public reporting people jumping from the back of a truck in Brockhurst Crescent near the M6 at junction 8.

Officers from the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG) arrested three people at the scene along with the 36-year-old Romanian driver.

A subsequent search of he vehicle revealed another three people hiding nearby.

CMPG Inspector Greg Jennings, said: "We are working with colleagues from the UK Border Agency who will now manage and conduct a thorough investigation into the incident."

Two of the men arrested are believed to be Iranian, another is understood to be a 23-year-old Syrian, while two others males have told officers they are from Vietnam and aged in their mid-teens.

Police are arranging for interpreters and an age assessor to speak to the detainees, while the driver will be questioned on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry to the UK.

Another man, believed to be aged 32, is in hospital having been found by officers with two broken ankles.

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