<p>The men were found after British officers working at Dunkirk used a carbon dioxide detection probe which indicated the presence of people aboard a Slovakian-registered freight lorry.<br /><br />The officers searched the trailer and found the men hiding within the load of steel wire.<br />The stowaways were all handed over to French Border Police, and the vehicle was allowed to continue to the UK.<br /><br />However, the Bulgarian driver and the haulage company now face a potential fine if they are unable to prove they took steps to secure the vehicle.<br /><br />Carole Upshall, director for European operations, UK Border Agency, said: "This is exactly why we base so many of our staff in France and Belgium - to stop illegal immigrants before they can reach the UK".<br /><br />As well as using carbon dioxide probes, our staff also have heartbeat detectors and sniffer dogs to detect the presence of people hiding in lorries".<br /><br />British officers use hi-tech search equipment to combat immigration crime and detect banned and restricted goods that smugglers attempt to bring into the country.<br /><br />They use an array of search techniques including detection dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors and scanners as well as visual searches to find well-hidden stowaways, illegal drugs, firearms and cigarettes.<br /><br />Throughout 2009 more than 29,000 illegal attempts to cross the Channel illegally were prevented.</p>
<p>The men were found after British officers working at Dunkirk used a carbon dioxide detection probe which indicated the presence of people aboard a Slovakian-registered freight lorry.<br /><br />The officers searched the trailer and found the men hiding within the load of steel wire.<br />The stowaways were all handed over to French Border Police, and the vehicle was allowed to continue to the UK.<br /><br />However, the Bulgarian driver and the haulage company now face a potential fine if they are unable to prove they took steps to secure the vehicle.<br /><br />Carole Upshall, director for European operations, UK Border Agency, said: "This is exactly why we base so many of our staff in France and Belgium - to stop illegal immigrants before they can reach the UK".<br /><br />As well as using carbon dioxide probes, our staff also have heartbeat detectors and sniffer dogs to detect the presence of people hiding in lorries".<br /><br />British officers use hi-tech search equipment to combat immigration crime and detect banned and restricted goods that smugglers attempt to bring into the country.<br /><br />They use an array of search techniques including detection dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors and scanners as well as visual searches to find well-hidden stowaways, illegal drugs, firearms and cigarettes.<br /><br />Throughout 2009 more than 29,000 illegal attempts to cross the Channel illegally were prevented.</p>