Emergency crews and an air ambulance have rushed to the headquarters of a fruit importer following the discovery of 26 immigrants in the back of a refrigerated lorry.

Six patrol cars, three paramedic crews and the helicopter descended on the distribution centre of Gomez Ltd in Bridge, near Canterbury, shortly before 11.30am.

The migrants – 24 men, one woman and a boy – were found in the back of a Romanian-registered HGV carrying £25,000 worth of peppers.

VIDEO: Suspected migrants were found near Canterbury. Credit: Steve Parmenter

It had been travelling to the UK from Spain, but it is not clear where or when the immigrants – who are of Middle Eastern or North African appearance - got into the truck.

The woman is said to have collapsed and has been taken to hospital, while one of the men is understood to have a leg injury.

It is not yet clear if the air ambulance was needed.

A police spokesman says the migrants will be handed over to Home Office immigration officials to process.

The ambulance service said the migrants had been checked over and only the woman was taken to the Kent and Canterbury Hospital for treatment.

Gomez managing director Jim Parmenter says the fruit in the lorry has been contaminated so will be binned, adding his frustration at what is the third incident of its type this month.

“Our politicians are telling us things are getting better, but they’re not, they’re getting worse,” he said.

“This is the third incident this month. We’ve had over 30 illegals now in three vehicles. We’ve lost £80, 000 worth of stock. It’s costing the country millions.

“They claim they’re destitute, but the first thing they did when they got out of the lorry was get out their smart phones and start smoking.”

Lorries visiting the Gomez centre have regularly been targeted by immigrants attempting to gain access to the UK.

In August 2014 Iraqi Kurd Nechervan Hassan, 29, was crushed beneath the wheels of an HGV he had clung to the underside of as it arrived at the depot.

Following his death, Mr Parmenter said: “It was obviously very tragic.

“But since the French authorities bulldozed the camps at Calais earlier this year, it is happening more.

“The number of illegal immigrants coming in is out of control.

“We used to have an incident every three to four months. In the last month, it’s soared. It seems to be every few days."