This is the shocking moment a group of suspected migrants forced their way out of an HGV stuck in traffic in Kent.
A fellow HGV driver was shocked to see half a dozen men climb out of the parked lorry as he queued in traffic on a A2 flyover leading up to the Dartford Crossing.
It comes as the number of migrants crossing the channel by boat this year is nearing a record-breaking 20,000.
After a spree of channel crossings at the weekend, the total number of migrants who have arrived in the UK by boat now stands at 19,533 – more than double the 8,410 who arrived last year.
In the incident on the A2, the driver managed to capture the moment as he drove past.
In the video, one man can be seen climbing out onto the roof of the lorry before lowering himself to the ground.
A driver caught the moment suspected migrants climbed out of the back of an HGV in Kent
A second hooded man can also be seen jumping down before they both run from the lorry over a grassy verge.
A third man then jumps down from the lorry and then appears to hang back to help others before the footage is cut short but the driver who filmed the incident says at least six people left the vehicle as he drove past.
The footage was taken as he was stuck in stationary traffic queuing for the Dartford Crossing while the other HGV had pulled up on the hard shoulder with hazard lights on.
The 27-year-old Class 1 HGV driver said: ‘I could see six or seven people climbing out the side of the curtain but I didn’t manage to get all of them on film.
‘I was in heavy traffic because of the crossing. The other driver was pulled up on the hard shoulder.
‘It was shocking. I contacted police but they’d already had multiple calls.’
The incident took place on Friday October 15 at around 4.30pm.
The HGV appears to have an international number plate with three letters and three numbers – a sequence used by several European countries including Lithuania and Finland.
Video shows two men fleeing the scene but the driver says up to seven climbed out of the van
Kent Police says information about the incident (pictured) has been passed to the Home Office
A spokesman for Kent Police said: ‘Kent Police was called at 4.34pm on Friday 15 October 2021 to a report a group of people, believed to be migrants, had been seen exiting a lorry on the A2 near Bean.
‘Officers attended the scene and spoke with the driver of the lorry.
‘A search of the area was also carried out, with no individuals located.
‘Details have been passed on to the Home Office, who are the lead agency for immigration matters.’
A total of 19,533 have made the treacherous 21-mile trip so far in 2021 – more than double the 8,410 who arrived last year.
This year’s figure surpassed the landmark 19,000 on Saturday when 410 migrants were rescued or intercepted by Border Force in 11 boats.
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard an RNLI vessel, following a small boat incident in the Channel which took place yesterday morning
The number of migrants reaching the UK by boat has now reached 19,533 so far this year. Pictured: A group of suspected migrants are brought into Dover onboard an RNLI vessel
It was followed by 102 people in three boats on Sunday.
And despite dire weather conditions making the journey across the Dover Strait even more dangerous, 294 migrants arrived in 10 boats on Monday.
The Home Office, which only released details of the crossings late Monday night, said French authorities prevented 482 migrants from making the perilous journey in 17 incidents across the same three day period.
Border Force were seen using huge boats Valiant and Hurricane to bring intercepted migrants into Dover Marina, Kent on Monday.
Dozens of men wearing orange life jackets, thick winter coats and red woolly hats to combat the cold were seen disembarking.
And young children including a girl aged around seven wearing a silver reflective jacket were also on board.
This year’s figure surpassed 19,000 on Saturday when 410 migrants were rescued or intercepted by Border Force in 11 boats. Pictured: Suspected migrants arrive on Monday
The migrants were escorted up the gangway by Immigration Enforcement for processing.
One boat packed with around 30 migrants managed to land on the shingle at Dungeness, Kent, on Sunday.
No crossings are expected today/yesterday (TUE) due to stormy weather at sea.
A total of 2,460 migrants have arrived in 83 boats so far in October.
Dan O’Mahoney, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, said: ‘The government is determined to tackle the unacceptable rise in dangerous Channel crossings using every tool at our disposal, at every stage in the journey.
‘The government’s New Plan for Immigration provides a long term solution to fix the broken system and deliver the change required to tackle criminal gangs and prevent further loss of life.’
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard an RNLI boat
According to the National Crime Agency, the most common clandestine ways for migrants to enter the UK are in lorries or other commercial vehicles transported by rail or ferry, in commercial shipping containers or by small boats.
Organised gangs frequently smuggle people in hard-sided lorries, while more opportunist smuggling tends to be in soft-sided lorries.
Most methods of transport subject migrants to significant personal risk.
The NCA says that whatever their method of entering the UK, without permission to work legally, migrants can be exploited and forced into modern slavery or turn to crime to support themselves.