A total of thirteen young migrants have been found in a tanker containing plastic granules at the Port of Dover.

Border Force and Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers were called after the discovery at Dover’s Eastern Docks yesterday afternoon.

The male migrants - 11 from Syria and two from Afghanistan - will now be interviewed by Kent Social Services to assess their ages as unconfirmed reports suggested they were children.

If they are found to be minors, they will be passed into the care of Kent Social Services.

A spokesman for the Home Office said all of the migrants are fit and well and no further action is being taken against the driver of the vehicle.

A Home Office spokesman added: “We work closely with the police to tackle illegal immigration and continue to strengthen the security of our border to stop those who have no right to enter the UK.

"If people have a genuine need of protection they should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach. If they are just seeking to evade immigration control they need to know that they are risking their lives and that they will get caught.

"The new Immigration Act makes it harder for people to live in the UK illegally. It makes it harder for illegal immigrants to abuse our benefits and public services, and makes it easier for us to remove them by reducing the number of appeals.”