Group stuck in lorry plead ‘we’re dying by cold’ in harrowing 999 call

A man squashed on top of fruit pallets in the back of a lorry told police he was “dying by cold” in a harrowing 999 call.

Cambridgeshire Police said they received a call from the terrified man who said the group were banging on the side of the vehicle for hours but couldn’t alert the driver.

Officers found the lorry in Alconbury Weald and discovered 12 people, including five children aged between 15 and 17, inside squashed at the top of pallets of fruit.

No-one was injured and the driver was initially arrested on suspicion of human trafficking but later released with no further action, police said.