FOUR illegal immigrants have been found in a lorry headed for Fareham.

The four men, all from Eritrea, were discovered in a polish lorry carrying a load of copper pipes.

Officers from the UK Border Agency were alerted by their sniffer dog, Lola, a fiver-year-old short haired German pointer.

The stowaways, who were discovered at Calais, were handed over to the French border police and the vehicle was allowed to continue onto its destination in Hampshire.

However, the Polish driver and the haulage company now each face a potential fine of up to £2,000 per stowaway if they are unable to prove they took steps to secure the vehicle.

Carole Upshall, the UK Border Agency Director for South and Europe said: "This incident shows why we base UK Border Agency staff in France - to stop would-be illegal immigrants before they can reach the UK.

“Our strong presence in French ports like Calais helps protect the whole of the UK from people attempting to enter the country illegally.

“As well as using sniffer dogs, officers also use heartbeat detectors and carbon dioxide probes and physical searches to find people hiding in vehicles”. The immigrants were found at 6.20am, on March 9.