Traffic police discover seven migrants hidden behind San Pellegrino sparkling waters crates by drivers stuck in M1 jam.

  • Following their discovery on M1 in Leicester, all seven of them were “fine and healthy”. 
  • Motorists have reported that they heard a ‘bang’ from the HGV’s slow moving speed. 
  • They huddled together behind bottles of sparkling San Pellegrino water as the migrants arrived.










After motorists stopped in traffic heard the ‘banging coming from within’, seven people found sheltering in a trailer in the rear of a truck’s refrigerated trailer were found.

Leicestershire Police responded to the incident after the HGV had stopped on the M1 northbound close to junction 24 near to Leicester at around 9.30pm on Thursday. 

Untold numbers of migrants found themselves huddled together behind bottles of San Pellegrino sparkling waters. 

A small group of migrants were found huddled behind boxes of San Pellegrino sparkling water after a refrigerated lorry was stopped on the M1 near Leicester on Thursday evening

After a truck carrying refrigerated goods was pulled off the M1 at Leicester, a small number of migrants found themselves huddled in front of boxes of San Pellegrino sparkling waters.

They were deemed to be in a good condition at the time of their discovery.

The seven residents were taken into custody and detained. They will then be processed by immigration officers.

Since then, the Leicestershire Police confirmed that the driver wasn’t arrested.

Leicestershire Roads Policing Unit shared the information via a Twitter. It said that members of the public reported hearing the banging from a refrigerated trailer while driving slowly on the M1. 

The ‘HGV stopped. 7 people discovered in the trailer. Fortunately they’re all fit & well. 

‘All 7 arrested & taken to custody for immigration teams to come and process.’ 

Motorists on J24 of the M1 near to Leicester reported hearing 'banging' coming from the back of the lorry (pictured)

Motorists who were near Leicester, J24 on the M1 heard a roaring sound coming from behind their lorries (pictured).

Sharing the news in a tweet, Leicestershire Roads Policing Unit said: 'Members of public report hearing banging coming from refrigerated trailer in slow moving traffic on the M1'

Leicestershire Roads Policing Unit tweeted the following: “Members report hearing banging sounding from trailer refrigerated in slow-moving traffic on M1”

Analysis shows that more than 21,000 migrants crossed to the UK this year. This figure is almost double that of the 2020 total.

Priti Patel (Home Secretary) promised in 2019 that migrants crossings will be an ‘infrequent phenomenon by spring 2020. Then, she pledged last August to’make it unviable’.

According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), the main clandestine routes for migrants entering the UK by means of lorries, other commercial vehicles, rails, or ferry, small boats, commercial shipping containers, or in small boats are all the preferred ways.

Organized gangs often smuggle people into hard-sided trucks, while more casual smuggling is done in soft-sided trucks.

Many transport methods expose migrants to high personal risks.

According to the NCA, no matter how they entered the UK legally, immigrants can still be exploited to become modern slaves or criminals to make a living.

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