Four suspected illegal immigrants have been detained in Ashford today.

The group were discovered after a highway engineer who was working on the M20, near junction 9, spotted a man’s head and shoulders poking out the top of a lorry.

Worried the man was going to fall, the engineer jumped in his car and pulled the vehicle over on the hard shoulder of the London-bound carriageway.

Andy Rickwood, who works for Telent who have been contracted by the Highways Agency, said: “I was working on the hard shoulder when I saw a lorry go past. It looked like a man was just lying on top.

“I got in my car which has lights on it and overtook the lorry and pulled it over.

“I told the lorry driver there was someone on his roof.

“He didn’t seem to know anything about it.

“Two people then jumped off and ran away. I then called the police.

“It looked like they had cut the tarpaulin to get into the lorry and cut a hole in the roof to get through.”

Officers were called to the motorway at 12.15pm and discovered four men were still on the roof of the lorry, which was transporting tyres.

Kent Fire and Rescue service was also called to the scene and helped the men get down using a ladder.

The four men were detained.

It is not known what happened to the two who fled the scene.

Mr Rickwood added:“Working on the motorway, I do see a lot of things like this."

A spokesman said: “Kent Police was called at 12.15pm today to a report of some suspected illegal immigrants on the M20.

“Officers attended the Londonbound carriageway at junction 9 and four people have been detained.

“The immigration authorities will duly be informed.”