Statement from Staffordshire County Council on M6 incident
Posted on Thursday 10th January 2019
Specialist social workers from Staffordshire County Council are working to support four people who said they are under the age of 18, after 27 suspected migrants were found in a lorry stopped on the M6 yesterday.
Philip Atkins, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said:
"Staffordshire County Council has a dedicated team of specialists who are supporting these young people today.
We have a duty to look after these young people and our priority is to ensure they are safe and well and treated appropriately for their age while they are assessed.
In the last five years almost 200 unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been found along the M6 corridor in Staffordshire. They are usually very hungry, tired and unkempt after being in a lorry for a long time, and frightened and anxious.
More needs to be done to help stop children making these perilous journeys and risking their lives, but in the meantime we have a duty to protect and support all children in our care."