M6 motorway
Five would-be illegal immigrants have been arrested by West Midlands police Getty

West Midlands police have arrested five males, suspected illegal immigrants from Iran, Syria and Vietnam, while a sixth man with broken ankles has been taken to hospital. A Romanian lorry driver has also been arrested for his role in bringing the men into the UK in the back of his refrigerated truck.

Police were called at 3.15pm on Tuesday (11 August) after receiving reports that people were jumping from the back of a truck in Brockhurst Crescent, near junction 8 of the M6 motorway. Officers from the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG) arrested three people at the scene, along with the 36-year-old Romanian truck driver. A subsequent search discovered another three people hiding nearby.

Two of the men arrested are believed to be Iranian, another is understood to be a 23-year-old Syrian, while two other males have told officers they are from Vietnam and aged in their mid-teens. Police are this morning arranging for interpreters and an age assessor to speak to the detainees, while the driver will be questioned on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry to the UK.

Another man, believed to be aged 32, is in hospital having been found by officers with two broken ankles. CMPG Inspector Greg Jennings, said: "We are working with colleagues from the UK Border Agency who will now manage and conduct a thorough investigation into the incident."

More about UK immigration