Home Office officials have arrested a group of men and women from East African countries who entered the UK in the back of a lorry.

Police were called to the lorry at 3.30pm yesterday near the Premier Foods and Givaudan factories in Kennington Road in Ashford after reports that 17 stowaways were on board.

Home Office Immigration Enforcement Officers carried out a search of the lorry, and also found three children among the group.

They were taken to the detention centre in Dover where officials found that there were six men from Sudan, two men from Ethiopia and three men from Eritrea. There were also two women from Ethiopia and one woman from Eritrea.

In total 10 are still being held in the detention centre on suspicion of entering the country illegally, four have been released and must report to the Home Office while their cases are considered.

There were also three minors who have been passed into the care of Kent Social Services.

It was the second discovery of people attempting to gain entry into the UK this week, with RNLI Lifeboat crews rescuing a group of 18 Albanians aboard a sinking inflatable boat late on Saturday night.

Two British men were charged with immigration offences after being rescued along with the Albanians on board.

Robert Stilwell, 33, from Dartford and Mark Stribling, 35, from Farningham have been charged with offences under the Immigration Act 1971.

The duo were remanded in custody and are due to appear before Maidstone Crown Court on Monday, June 27.

It is not yet clear if immigration officials are investigating any suspected offences in connection with the incident in Ashford yesterday.