Police find 14 adults and a child in back of freezer lorry at M25 service station

All 15 people are undergoing medical checks

The lorry was travelling northbound on the M25 (AFP)

A child and 14 adults are receiving medical treatment after being found in the back of a freezer lorry at a service station on the M25.

Police were called to Clacket Lane services, between junctions five and six of the motorway, at 10:15am on Friday to concerns over the safety of the group of people who were discovered in the vehicle.

The driver of the white HGV, who was travelling northbound, stopped at the service station after he heard loud banging coming from inside the vehicle.

The 15 people discovered in the rear of the lorry have undergone medical checks.

Five of them were children, who will now be placed in the care of social services, a Surrey Police spokesman said.

South East Coast Ambulance service said three people, one woman and two men, had been taken to East Surrey Hospital with minor ailments.

Surrey Police said the main slip road into the service station had been closed while the people were detained on suspicion of illegal entry.

Surrey Police's Inspector Alan Nicholls told BBC News: "We received a couple of phone calls this morning - one from the lorry driver and one from the people inside the lorry - that he had heard noises inside it and that people inside were saying there were 40 of them and some of them were dead.

"Naturally, it was a very high-speed response to this. We have attended, together with the South East Coast ambulance service, and assessed 15 people taken out of the back of this vehicle.

"None of them, I'm pleased to say, are dead. Five have been taken to East Surrey hospital for a check-up and some of the 10 that were left were juveniles so we're looking at getting them placed with the social services, and another five will go down to Dover for immigration."

The Home Office said eleven men, including five claiming to be minors, were arrested by police officers on suspicion of entering illegally.

A family of four, including two children, was encountered at the scene and they are due to be interviewed by immigration officials.

It said the nationalities of the 15 people are not known at this stage.

Police said the driver of the lorry is assisting with police enquiries.

A statement said: “The investigation has now been passed to UK Visas and Immigration Services".