As many as 20 immigrants are said to have hid in the back of a lorry destined for a fruit packing firm on the outskirts of Canterbury.

The group ran from the scene after the truck was opened at Gomez Ltd in Coldharbour Lane, Patrixbourne, this morning.

Witnesses say they fled in the direction of Bridge.

Five of them - all men - were located by police soon after officers were alerted at about 7.15am.

They will be dealt with by Home Office Immigration Enforcement.

Gomez boss Jim Parmenter says the cost of illegal immigrants arriving in Kent on produce lorries is costing the company dearly.

In March, he calculated the Canterbury-based fruit packing firm had lost £500,000 in the last year because the load on any lorry which immigrants smuggle themselves onto is deemed contaminated and has to be destroyed.

Mr Parmenter says the escalating problem has reached "worrying levels" for the business.

"This has been a problem for several years and we have introduced many new security protocols to try and prevent the financial burden this causes when we have to condemn a full load of produce," he said.

"There was a big reduction in incidents after the Calais jungle was dismantled, but in recent months they are on the rise again towards worrying levels.

"More than 20 lorries have been affected in the last year and at £25,000 per lorry, it's substantial. But it is also important to note, that although we work with our suppliers to help with security protocols, we do not own or operate the lorries coming into the UK - they are simply delivering to our site."

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

The biggest single discovery of stowaways at Gomez was in March, 2016 when 26 illegal immigrants were found in the back of a lorry delivering peppers from Spain.