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Five illegal immigrants were discovered hiding in a lorry load of dog biscuits.

UK Border Agency officers working in Calais discovered the men inside the vehicle following a dawn inspection.

An elevated carbon dioxide detector reading and subsequent indication by a body detection dog led them to the lorry.

Officials found four Afghan men on top of the load, with another hiding underneath packets of dog biscuits.

The Hungarian driver and his vehicle were en route from Hungary to Melton Mowbray carrying 26 pallets of dog biscuits. The UK Border Agency said the haulage company had been issued with a letter warning they may face a fine of up to £2,000 per illegal.

The five men were removed from the vehicle, fingerprinted, photographed, refused entry to the UK and handed over to the French authorities. The lorry was then allowed to continue its journey to the UK.

Tom Dowdall, director of border force European operations at the UK Border Agency said: "Since January 2009 we have stopped over 27,900 individual attempts to cross the channel illegally and searched over 920,000 freight vehicles.

"The UK Border Agency is committed to tackling illegal immigration and its harmful effects. Finds such as this one highlight the tenacity required by UK Border Agency officers to stay one step ahead of illegal immigration.

"This is why we have our own border checks in France - to prevent illegal entrants even setting foot in the UK."

Source UKPA