Suspected illegal migrants now in care, says authority

SUSPECTED illegal migrants who caused Brewers fans to miss Wednesday’s big match in Manchester have been taken into care, it has emerged.

Many Brewers fans did not get to the Etihad Stadium in time to see the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg after being held up on the M6 as 27 people fled when a lorry was searched due to “reports lives may have been at risk”.

All 27 were subsequently tracked down by police and no serious injuries were reported.

Now it has emerged that four of the group stopped by police were aged under 18 and have been taken into care by Staffordshire County Council.

Council leader Philip Atkins said: “Staffordshire County Council has a dedicated team of specialists who are supporting these young people today.

“We have a duty to look after these young people and our priority is to ensure they are safe and well and treated appropriately for their age while they are assessed.

“In the past five years almost 200 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have been found along the M6 corridor in Staffordshire.

“They are usually very hungry, tired and unkempt after being in a lorry for a long time, and frightened and anxious. More needs to be done to help stop children making these perilous journeys and risking their lives, but in the meantime we have a duty to protect and support all children in our care.”

The 42-year-old driver is in police custody after the truck was stopped at around 6pm between junctions 15 and 16 on the northbound carriageway.

He was arrested “on suspicion of facilitating the illegal entry of persons unknown to the UK” and immigration enforcement officers have taken over the investigation.

Deputy Chief Constable Nick Baker said: “We recognise the disruption this has caused to road users as there were lengthy delays and we’d like to thank the public for their patience and co-operation during this incident.

“We received information that there was real concern for people in distress and lives may have been at risk, therefore it was necessary for us to take immediate and appropriate action.

“The response to this incident has involved multiple forces, agencies and partners and I’d like to thank those organisations for their help and assistance.”