Sniffer dog finds stowaways inside coffin

Three Africans have been caught trying to enter Britain illegally in a truck loaded with coffins. The trio, Eritrean nationals, hid among dozens of boxed coffins which were loaded in a van from Bulgaria. But sniffer dog Mitzy unearthed the human cargo .

The discovery was made on Monday when Border Force officers searched the lorry at the port of Dunkirk in northern France. The truck, which was waiting to board a ferry to the UK, was carrying coffins bound for a funeral director in Hounslow, west London. The stowaways were handed over to French border police and the vehicle was allowed to continue on its journey.

Paul Morgan, Border Force director for South East and Europe, said: "This was an unusual type of discovery, but in the past we have found people hiding in an array of freight, ranging from dog biscuits, bathtubs and now coffins.

"The incident shows exactly why we base Border Force staff in France - to stop would-be illegal immigrants before they can reach the UK." He added: "As well as using sniffer dogs, officers also use heartbeat detectors, carbon dioxide probes and physical searches to find people hiding in vehicles."