A SOUTHAMPTON man whas been held in custody in France after three men were found hiding inside a caravan at a ferry port.

The man, believed to be either a taxi or a private hire vehicle driver, was arrested when three illegal immigrants were discovered hiding inside the vehicle at Dunkirk docks.

The caravan was being towed by a Nissan car driven by the 34- year-old from Southampton and was searched at a r o u n d 2.30am on Thursday as it waited for a ferry to Dover.

The driver, a British n a t i o n a l believed to be from Afghanistan, claimed to have been on a two-day holiday in the Dunkirk area.

Three other people were in the Nissan – his wife and child and a second man, aged 31.

Officers found three Afghans inside the caravan – a man and woman in their 50s hiding in a toilet and 12- year-old boy locked in a cupboard.

The stowaways were handed over to the French authorities and the driver and his companions were taken into custody by the French border police.

The Daily Echo contacted the French police and Ministry of the Interior in Paris yesterday, where a spokesman said the matter was being handled at the High Court of Dunkirk.

No one at the High Court was prepared to tell the Daily Echo the legal situation.

It was unclear how many of the four in the Nissan will face charges.

Paul Morgan, Border Force regional director, said: “This i n c i d e n t shows why we base Border Force staff inFrance – to stop would-be illegal immigrants before they can reach the UK.

“Our strong presence in French ports like Calais and Dunkirk, and close collaboration with French authorities, helps protect the whole of the UK from people attempting to enter the country illegally.”

As well as using physical searches Border Force officers also use sniffer dogs, heartbeat detectors and carbon dioxide probes to find people.

Anyone with information about immigration crime can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.