Stowaways flee lorry

Shocked motorists watched around 20 illegal immigrants knife their way out of a lorry and leap into two lanes of traffic on a Black Country dual carriageway.

The stowaways ripped open the side of the lorry from the inside before leaping out on to the A41 Expressway and fleeing into trees and bushes.

The men, of Eastern European appearance, made their escape as the lorry neared West Bromwich fire station.

Drivers were forced to slam on their brakes to avoid the men as they ran on to the carriageway. One driver, 48-year-old Paul Line from Aldridge, said: "I was sitting in traffic behind the lorry when I saw a knife cut through the tarpaulin on the side of the lorry.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The right-hand side opened up and about 20 people came out into the traffic, almost falling out of the side one after another."

The cream soft-sided lorry was at the island when the bizarre escape happened at around 3.20pm yesterday. It drove off before police could stop it. Mr Line said a number of motorists used mobile phones to alert police.

He added: "Whether the driver of the lorry knew what was going on, I have no idea. The people that fell out of the lorry looked as though they were all men, although there could have been women or even children."

"They just ran for it, straight across the dual carriageway and into the path of oncoming traffic. It was absolute chaos.

"Then they just split up and seemed to disappear into bushes around the area.

"I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it."

Catherine Preece, spokeswoman for West Midlands Police confirmed police attended the scene, but could find nothing to suggest what had happened.

She said that if the incident did involve immigrants it would be an issue for the immigration services, not the police, as no criminal act had taken place.