Stowaway: An
illegal immigrant was caught hanging on to the horse box carrying
Valegro, pictured, which won gold with rider Charlotte Dujardin in
dressage at the London Olympics in 2012, pictured above
Groom
Alan Davies said: 'We had queued at a manned booth to check in for the
train, with just a couple of cars in front of us, and after checking in
we were told to pull over once we'd gone through the barrier.
'I
thought they just wanted to check the gas was off as they do on the
trains, but security came over and looked under the lorry. They then
said: "There's someone under there".
'They'd seen him on CCTV waiting around and when he'd disappeared they became suspicious.'
Mr Davies said that he was shocked by what happened as he had taken precautions to guard against stowaways.
If
a trucker is caught with migrants in his vehicle when on British soil
it is the driver, not the company, who is liable for a £2,000 fine.
He told Horse & Hound: 'We were allowed to go – but if I'd gone through any further then I would've been fined.
'I've seen migrants hanging around in groups before, it was a big shock.'
Valegro,
who won Olympic gold at the London Games in 2012, had been returning
from a demonstration event in Norway on Wednesday October 22.
Dangerous: Police with sniffer dogs
caught the man as the vehicle was readying to return to England after
an event in Norway. Above, migrants in Calais try to jump on to a lorry
before it crosses the Channel
Migrants
are flocking to Calais in increasing numbers this year, with up to
2,000 people living in makeshift shelters as they wait to cross the
English channel.
The
impoverished conditions in the port city has lead Natacha Bouchart, the
mayor of Calais, to announce a new refuge for migrants, likened by many
to the infamous Red Cross camp at Sangatte.
The failed camp acted as a base of operations for many trying to cross in the UK before it was closed in 2002.
French
authorities insist they have been left with few options after fighting
between migrant groups lead to 70 people being injured this summer,
while people have also been targeted by criminals.
Just
last month a crew aboard a P&O ferry were forced to turn a firehose
on a crowd of around 250 people as they tried to force their way on to
the boat.
Suspicious: Police had seen the
migrant on CCTV as he waited near the queue of vehicles and went to
investigate when he disappeared. Above, desperate migrants try to board a
truck from Calais to England
The
lorry driver who filmed the chaotic attempt to board the ferry, bound
for Dover, described Calais as a 'war zone' saying the situation was at
its worst for 20 years.
A
Home Office spokesman said: 'The security of the border is a priority
and we are working at European and international level to address the
wider problem of illegal migration.
'We
have increased joint intelligence work with the French to target the
organised crime gangs behind smuggling and people trafficking.
'These
criminals are constantly modifying their tactics in an attempt to evade
strengthened border controls and we are seeing increasingly dangerous
methods being used, including the use of sealed or refrigerated
vehicles.
'We
warn those who are tempted to put their lives in the hands of organised
criminals that they are putting themselves and their families at risk.
If people have a genuine need of protection they should claim asylum in
the first safe country they reach.'
British
dressage rider Carl Hester MBE, part of the 2012 team, tweeted:
'Valegro arrived safely back at Folkestone unlike the illegal immigrant
found underneath the lorry!'
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