Nearly 30 would-be illegal immigrants who were bound for Dover from Dunkirk and Calais have been discovered hiding in three lorries by Border Force officers.

The first group of 19 - seven from Vietnam and 12 from Iran - were found when officers in Dunkirk searched a Latvian-registered lorry in the early hours of Friday.

The Latvian driver was handed to the French Border Police on suspicion of attempted facilitation and for further investigation into the incident.

The stowaways - two women and 17 men - were also handed to the French authorities.

Also on Friday, officers using sniffer dogs found five men from Afghanistan hiding in a Polish-registered lorry at Calais.

Today, another group of five Vietnamese - three women and two men - were found by officers and sniffer dogs at Dunkirk in a Romanian-registered vehicle.

Both these groups were handed to the French Border Police, and the vehicles allowed to continue.

Carole Upshall, the Border Force Director for South and Europe said: "These incidents show why we base Border Force staff in France - to stop would-be illegal immigrants before they can reach the UK.

"Our strong presence in French ports like Dunkirk and Calais helps protect the whole of the UK from people attempting to enter the country illegally.

"Our officers use sniffer dogs, heartbeat detectors and carbon dioxide probes as well as physical searches to find people hiding in vehicles".

A leaflet, issued by Border Force, in partnership with the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), gives information and advice to lorry drivers transporting freight to and from the UK on how to prevent illegal immigration and avoid becoming victims of crime.