Mystery of lorry immigrants and Christmas trees
After the controversy of Northampton's fake Christmas trees, it was a story which sounded like it could not possibly be true.
Four illegal immigrants apparently managed to sneak their way into the country . . . by hiding inside the lorry apparently delivering the 33,000 trees to the borough council's Westbridge depot in St James.
A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police confirmed that four men – two Iraqi men and two Iranians –had been arrested and taken to Weston Favell Police Station for questioning shortly after their capture.
A spokesman for the UK Border Agency said: "Following their arrest after being found in a lorry, four suspected illegal immigrants were apprehended and transferred to our specialist teams of officers."
But there is confusion over whether the lorry in which the men were hiding was actually the one with the fake trees.
The council was adamant its information was that the lorry was empty, apart from the illegal immigrants, and was at the depot to pick up paper for recycling.
But official Government sources told the Chron that investigators understood that the lorry used by the stowaways was full of Christmas trees and decorations.
Councillor Tony Woods (Lib Dem, St Davids), the leader of the council, said: "There was an early story doing the rounds that these men had been hiding in the Christmas trees. As far as I am aware, the lorry was carrying paper. I do not know why there is any confusion surrounding this.
"It does not seem unusual that the lorry would have come from Europe to collect recycling as we spread our recycling quite far and wide."
Critics of the plan for new, artificial Christmas trees were quick to comment.
Councillor Tony Clarke (Ind, Castle) has been one of the main opponents to the 33,000 trees.
He said: "This whole episode is becoming farcical. It's like something out of Carry On Christmas."
Leader of the opposition on the borough council, Councillor Tim Hadland (Con, Weston), who said: "It's crazy. We've got four illegal immigrants, three plastic trees, two conflicting stories, now all we need is a partridge in a pear tree."
It was revealed in Parliament last year that illegal immigrants were caught hiding in the back of lorries in Northamptonshire an average of once a fortnight.
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Weather for Northampton
Saturday 04 February 2012
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