STUNNED CHILDREN RETURN TO HAMPSHIRE FROM SCHOOL TRIP TO FRANCE TO FIND TWO MIGRANTS IN THE LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT OF THEIR COACH

• A school bus returned to Southampton on Saturday, unaware of the men
• The children's luggage was crumpled and covered in urine, parents said

Shocked pupils discovered two suspected migrants hiding under bags in the luggage compartment of their coach after they returned from a school trip to France.

Two men, thought to be in their early 20s, were found lying inside the hold as their bus arrived back to Hounsdown School in Southampton, Hampshire.

After the door was opened, one of the men inside tried to run off but was stopped by parents waiting to pick up their children. One child's luggage was said left ‘crumpled’ and covered in urine.

One mother said she went into 'panic mode' and said 'excusez moi' to one of the men so she could reach past to get her child's bag.

Another said: 'My daughter came running over and she said 'there's people sat in where the suitcases are'.

'Obviously it's quite concerning because there were 36 children on the coach and no one was aware that they were there’

Police were called to the incident but no arrests have been made. A spokesman said they were 'possibly illegal immigrants', but the Home Office has so far refused to clarify whether the two men had been detained.

The coach had been carrying children Year 9 and 10 pupils who had just come back from a three-day school trip visiting Boulogne University about 20 miles south of Calais.

The teachers and pupils had travelled home via the Eurotunnel at Calais, returning to Totton, near Southampton, on Saturday evening.

The children had been visiting Boulogne University about 20 miles from Calais.

The teachers and pupils had travelled home on the coach via the Eurotunnel at Calais, returning to Totton, near Southampton, on Saturday evening.

One mother described the incident as 'horrendous', and it was said that one of the men tried to run off but was stopped by parents.

Describing the moment the men were found, the mother said: '[My son's] luggage was covered in urine and his belongings crumpled by one of the men being on top of it.

'I asked them (in French) if they spoke English or French and they replied French, I was about to ask them where they'd come from but got ushered away by the teachers.'

Following the discovery, she panicked and her only thought was to grab her 14-year-old son's baggage from the coach.

She said: 'The only way I can describe it is panic mode.

'My one aim was to get my child off the bus, and once I had I went back as I couldn't handle seeing kids being asked to take their baggage out of the hold.

'I just said "excuse-moi" to the gent and leaned over him to get the rest of the bags out as my son's was tucked underneath him.' 

Posting on social media, another parent said: 'Just picked my daughter up from her school trip to France. The coach driver opened up the bottom to get the suitcases and found three immigrants sat in there.'

Several parents who saw the incident have told of their shock.

'They looked completely fine and comfy,' one said on social media.

'Not being funny but I'm angry about it. They got access to a coach carrying school children.

'It's one thing to get in a lorry but a very different thing to manage to get in to a coach without being seen.'

He added: 'Was an absolute shocker to see a person sat there as the kids went forward to get their bags.'

Another parent said: 'My son is so upset bless him, he's told me to cancel him going away next year with the school and has said he'd rather wait until he can pay to go when he's older.

'The teachers couldn't have done a better job the whole way through, I really do feel for them right now.'

Another mother, Tabi, told the BBC: 'My daughter came running over and she said 'there's people sat in where the suitcases are'.

'Obviously it's quite concerning because there were 36 children on the coach and no one was aware that they were there.

'I understand these immigrants are wanting a better life but it's not very good targeting a coach full of children.' 

A Hampshire Police spokesperson said: 'We were called just before 5.15pm on Saturday 10 February to reports that two people, who were possibly illegal immigrants, had been found at Hounsdown School in Totton. Officers have attended. No arrests have been made.'

MailOnline has contacted Hounsdown School for comment. 

It comes after more than 120 migrants crossed the Channel in three small boats on Saturday, bringing total number of arrivals this year to 1,506.

A total of 124 migrants made the dangerous crossing across the choppy waters, the Home Office confirmed.

The total figure for arrivals this year is down from the 2,072 by the same point in 2023 but up from 1,339 in 2022.

The total for the number who were intercepted by the Border Force for this week is 171 while the highest number who crossed in a single day so far this year was 358 on January 17.

Apart from the crossings on Saturday and Thursday, small boats had not been intercepted since January 31.

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