Asylum pair found in back of lorry

FACTORY workers had a shock when a delivery lorry arrived — and two asylum seekers leapt out the back.

The suspected illegal immigrants, believed to be from Afghanistan, had stowed on to the lorry in France and remained hidden until it pulled up at Ribble Packaging, Greengate Street, Glodwick.

They made a dash for it once the trailer doors were opened — but staff proved more alert than border officials and were quick to grab them.

Officers were called to arrest the men at noon on Friday. They were taken to Chadderton police station before being handed over to immigration officers.

Oldham has previously proved an unlikely destination for asylum seekers.

Last year the Chronicle revealed how an exhausted 13-year-old Afghan boy had walked into Oldham police station to claim asylum after spending several days in a lorry.

Another boy was thrown out of a van on the M62, while a young family from the former Yugoslavia were dumped in London but made their way to Oldham to seek refugee status.

As Immigration Minister, Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas has led tough changes to immigration rules. But he has found himself under fire from those who feel not enough is done to keep out and detain illegal immigrants and those who feel people fleeing their homelands have been treated inhumanely.

Calais Mayor, Natacha Bouchart, was reported yesterday to have blamed Britain’s state support for asylum seekers being desperate to get into this country.

Thousands gather in the French port every day to attempt to clamber aboard lorries and trains to cross the channel.

Mr Woolas says illegal migrants in Calais are not queuing to get into Britain — but have been locked out by one of the toughest border crossings in the world. Benefits are only available to those who play by the rules, work hard, pay taxes and learn to speak English, he added.

Last year, UK Border Agency staff stopped more than 28,000 attempts to cross the channel illegally.

Ribble Packaging declined to comment.