A BUSINESSMAN has spoken of his shock after two asylum seekers spent 10 hours clinging to the underside of his van as temperatures plunged.

Wayne Francis, who runs removals company Francis Removals, was returning from Caen in France to Portsmouth International Port via ferry on Tuesday when the two young men - one of whom is believed to be a minor - climbed underneath his 3.5 tonne Renault Master Luton van.

The men were only discovered when the younger of the two fell unconscious. A French lorry driver saw the boy's hand dragging across the floor of the ferry terminal.

Mr Francis, of Wimborne Road, Poole, said the van had been extensively checked at Caen before he boarded the ferry.

"I was driving back from the south of Spain," he said.

"When we got to Caen, we were three hours early, so we got out of the van to stretch our legs and go to the supermarket.

"I think that's when they must have gone under the van."

Temperatures were around 2C on Tuesday, with wind chill of around -15C, Mr Francis said.

"When we found them, they were half-dead," he said.

"At Caen, the van was properly checked by French police and customs officials, but you wouldn't have been able to see them unless you were lying on your back and looking up.

"They were completely hidden.

"If the young lad's hand hadn't dropped down, the other one might have been able to get away, and he could have died there. I wouldn't have known for weeks."

After the boy was found, officials at the port kept Mr Francis for "hours and hours".

"It was daunting," he said.

"I think they probably suspected me of having brought them in deliberately at first. They kept their cards close to their chest.

"From my reactions though, it would have been obvious I had no idea they were there. I was so shocked."

Representatives from Border Force said both men "presented themselves as Sudanese nationals".

"They were checked by paramedics and assessed to be fit and well," the spokesperson said.

"One individual claimed to be a minor and was passed into the care of social services. The second is detained while his immigration case is considered."

Mr Francis said he initially believed the unconscious boy had died when the youth was pulled to the ground from the van.

"He was in a bad way," he said.

"He looked lifeless. The police were using whistles to try and wake him up, but he was completely motionless.

"Eventually I saw his chest was moving really slowly.

"He's very lucky to be alive."