A man has been jailed after trying to smuggle asylum seekers into the UK through Kent.

Florian Gheorghe was stopped by Border Force officers in Dover in the early hours of September 9.

After officers searched Gheorghe's lorry following the stop in the Eastern Docks, they found three asylum seekers hidden behind the cab.

Two women were discovered in the top bunk of the bed, and a man hidden underneath the bottom bunk.

Gheorghe was arrested on suspicion of assisting illegal entry into the UK.

He was jailed for two years at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty two days earlier.

The people found in the lorry have outstanding applications which are being dealt with according to the immigration rules.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “We are tackling people smuggling and doing all we can to bring the organised criminals behind it to justice.

"Our broken asylum system contributes to this criminality, which is why we are fixing it.”

Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously or visit http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org

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Read more: All the latest news from Dover