Dutch border police have found 47 men, women and children hiding in a lorry during checks at Hoek van Holland port. The lorry was about to board a ferry for Britain.

The people were hiding in between the lorry’s cargo and were found with the help of a sniffer dog that had been specially trained to track human smells.

The 47 people have a variety of different nationalities, police said. The driver, who is Dutch, was arrested on human trafficking charges and the police investigation is ongoing.

In 2021, Dutch border police arrested at least 230 people on suspicion of people smuggling, an increase of 40% on the previous year.

Over 1,000 people were found trying to enter the country illegally during checks carried out by the border police mobile unit, which monitors suspicious movements in the border areas.

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