Five would-be illegal immigrants have been prevented from reaching Somerset after they were found by the UK Border Agency hiding in a lorry full of grapefruit.

The stowaways were detected in Dunkirk, France by a sniffer dog as the vehicle was preparing to board a UK-bound ferry.

The men – from Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq – were detained by the UK Border Agency before being handed over to the French Border Police, after the incident at 8.20am on Friday.

The vehicle was allowed to continue its journey to Bridgwater, but the British driver and haulage firm face a fine if they are unable to prove they took adequate steps to secure the lorry.

Carole Upshall, the UK Border Agency's dector for operations in Northern France, said: "This is exactly why we have staff in France and Belgium – to stop illegal immigrants before they can reach the UK.

"As well as using sniffer dogs, our staff also use heartbeat detectors and carbon dioxide probes."