M1 Toddington services is a migrant 'hop-off' hotspot, say police

Eighty per cent of immigration arrests on Bedfordshire's roads happen at the M1 services at Toddington

Police dealing with an "unprecedented" number of migrants say hundreds of arrests were made at or near a single M1 lorry stop.

More than 400 immigration arrests have been made across Bedfordshire's road network and services since 2010.

More than 80% were made at or near the Toddington Services on the M1 north of Luton, the force says.

Police say the service area is often the first place lorry drivers stop for a break after coming in through Dover.

The total number of immigration offence arrests across Bedfordshire shot up 83% - from 213 to 389 - during the first eight months of 2015, compared with the same period last year.

It is the largest rise of any of the counties in the east of England which, as a whole, has seen a 31% rise in arrests over the most recent reporting periods.

By law, drivers must take a break of at least 45 minutes after driving for up to four-and-a-half hours in one stretch (often referred to as a "tacho-break" because of the tachograph drivers use to record their journey information).

"The lorry drivers are using Toddington services for a 'tacho-break'," said Ch Insp Nick Lyall, "and obviously then discovering either the illegal immigrants inside or the immigrants are using that as an opportunity (to disembark)."

Toddington, he said, was often the first opportunity for stowaways to get off the vehicle they used to enter the UK, and many of whom would then claim asylum.

More than 80% of all arrests on Bedfordshire's road network over the past five years were at Toddington service area, or the junctions immediately north or south of it.

Living next to Toddington

George Mossie has been living next door to Toddington for the past two years. The property is just 20 yards from the services, separated by a wooden fence.

He is renovating the house with colleagues and they have installed 14 CCTV cameras after he saw stowaways emerging from lorries parked nearby.

"If you're in that house yourself, if everyone is away at work, you lock all the doors. You hear some strange noises and the first thing that comes into your mind is 'is it immigrants'?

"We've got camera systems throughout the house now. 24/7 Surveillance.

"You feel safe during the day. It's the night time I'm a bit wary.

"A month ago the immigrants came out of the lorries and took the road to the farm. We had the police down here - we've plenty of outbuildings.

"We did a manhunt to check it all out but it was all good.

"People coming in to a strange country, they may not have eaten for four days, maybe a week, no money, desperate for food, water - who knows?"

Ch Insp Lyall said the situation was now putting a strain on police resources, with the custody system under particular pressure.

"Over the last couple of months we have seen unprecedented levels of illegal immigrants being detained by officers," he said, "levels we've not seen before and levels that are really beginning to stretch us operationally."

The biggest nationality groups arrested by Bedfordshire Police on the county's roads for immigration offences over the past five years have been Eritreans, followed by Iranians.

However Syrians have been the largest group so far during 2015.

Of all the immigration arrests made by the force since 2010, 84% were male and nearly a quarter were under 20.

Moto, which runs the Toddington services, declined to comment.

• BBC Inside Out East cameras go on patrol with Bedfordshire police to find out what happens from the moment a migrant is discovered in a lorry at 19:30 GMT on BBC One East. The programme will be available afterwards on iPlayer.