Police find 15 'Iraqi migrants' hiding in fruit pallets at New Spitalfields Market

A lorry driver has been arrested after 15 stowaways were found hiding inside fruit pallets in the back of a truck at an east London market.

The group, who are believed to be from Iraq, were discovered in the rear of the vehicle by police in the early hours of Friday at New Spitalfields Market in Leyton.

Police said a family of five were taken to hospital for treatment.

Three people were arrested, including the driver of the lorry, on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry to the UK, officers said.

It is believed the lorry had travelled to the UK from Spain with the group hiding in the back.

Forklift truck diver Adam Perechuda said the lorry had been parked near the back of the market to deliver its load.

“The lorry was full of lemons, you could see some that had spilled onto the floor.

“It was big lorry with room for 20 large pallets. I saw two adults and three children standing by it.

“The police were standing by them. I thought it must be a family. A man and a woman and three children, maybe six or seven years old. One of them was a girl,” he added.

Another worker said: “I heard there were loads of people hiding in a lorry and when the door opened they scattered.”

Several workers at the market claimed the situation was “out of control”, with reports of stowaways in lorries “about twice a week.”

One market worker said: “Once last year I saw a hole being cut in the roof from the inside of one of the lorries and seven people climb out and climb down and run off.

“They disappear into the market and then they get out. It happens all the time here. They are climbing into the lorries coming over from the continent.”

Another forklift driver said: "The driver opened up the back of the lorry and all of these people came out. It was mainly young men, a few women and kids.

“They were asked to stand to the side and the police were called. Ambulances came too. Then I know some of them just scattered. There were police looking for them but I heard they found them all.”

Waseem Butt, 37, a porter at the market, said the migrants had been lying on top of lemons in a lorry which was also holding coriander pallets that had come from Spain.

He said they were lying in a space between the top pallet and the ceiling of the lorry's container and were uncovered when the driver opened up the lorry.

Mr Butt said blankets and gloves were seen alongside the lorry, which he claimed was refrigerated and able to hold 26 pallets.

He said: "The lorry had arrived from Spain. It was carrying lemons and some coriander. I heard there were around 20 people including children.

"The lorry was refrigerated and I heard they had blankets and gloves to keep warm.”

He said there had been three or four similar incidents last year where migrants were discovered hiding in lorries at the market.

Mr Butt said women and children had been found inside a lorry transporting onions, which had set off from Holland.

In a series of tweets, Waltham Forest borough officers said: “Following a call to New Spitalfields Market, E10, 15 people were found inside a lorry from Spain.

“A family of five taken to hospital for treatment.

“Three more arrested inc the driver for facilitating illegal entry to the UK.

"Persons mainly from Iraq hid inside pallets of fruit.”