Two men were being questioned by immigration officers today after being discovered hidden in the back of a Bradford lorry.

The pair, thought to be illegal immigrants from the former Yugoslavia, were found by police after Wilsden lorry driver Ronald Lockyer arrived back at his Wibsey depot after a European trip yesterday and was alerted by banging on the roof of his trailer.

And he said the men had reached Bradford despite a search of his vehicle by sniffer dogs at a customs check in Dover.

Mr Lockyer had been carrying a load of pots and pans from Italy, destined for Bury in Lancashire and was parking up for the night at his base, at WW Potter International, Beacon Road, in Wibsey.

He believes the two men sneaked into the Scania juggernaut as he slept overnight in the wagon at a service station at Gent, in Belgium, on Saturday night.

He said: "I was absolutely gobsmacked when I heard them banging. I didn't have a clue. All I can guess is that they got into the lorry on Saturday night while I was asleep.

"I rang the police straight away as I didn't know how many of them were in there or if they were going to cause any trouble.

"They opened the doors and found two men, who looked like they were in their mid 20s.

"They didn't speak any English. I felt sorry for them as they must have been desperate to get away. They were very quiet and looked tired.

"It must have been freezing in the back of the lorry with not much room."

Mr Lockyer, 55, from Main Street, Wilsden, said if the two men had got in at Gent they would have been in the lorry for 400 miles.

He had been pulled over at random by customs in Dover who checked the vehicle with sniffer dogs.

"I was a bit worried when the dog started to bark and go crazy," he said. But his lorry was given the all clear.

Mr Lockyer, who has worked for the firm for eight years, said that he had checked his vehicle after his overnight stop in Belgium.

"They must have had help as the lorry doors can only be opened and closed from the outside"

The firm's transport boss has criticised moves by the government to fine hauliers £2,000 if they bring illegal immigrants into the country.

Adrian Bannon said: "It's ridiculous having the fines. If customs can't even find them then what chance has the driver got?"

He said it was the third time this year the firm had been unwittingly involved in the growing trade in refugees mainly from Balkan countries - the last occasion a family had jumped out when the driver stopped at services on the A1 in Nottinghamshire.

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