SUSPECTED illegal immigrants are still on the run after evading police during a huge manhunt.

Police swooped on Arlingham last Thursday after 19 people were seen running away from a lorry near Frampton-on-Severn.

Six of the men were arrested in The Red Lion pub while another six were captured in Arlingham, all on suspected immigration offences, after a police operation that brought the village to a halt.  Seven of those seen fleeing the lorry managed to escape police, but it is not clear how many are still on the run.

A perimeter and checkpoints were set up around the village last Thursday afternoon, with dog teams searching cars leaving the area and a helicopter patrolling above.

At around 2.30pm, six of the men entered The Red Lion pub looking confused and asked head chef Marcin Nida how to get to Brighton.

“It was raining quite heavily so they came into the porch for shelter,” said Mr Nida. “They were covered in mud. A member of our staff saw them huddling outside and asked them if they wanted to come in.

“When they finally sat down they ordered coffee but could only pay in euros. They were all quite anxious and only one of them could speak a tiny bit of English.

“They had absolutely no idea where they were and seemed completely lost. All they knew is that they wanted to get to Brighton.”

The men were in the pub for about half an hour before the police arrived.

Mr Nida continued: “None of them panicked and they were quite calm when it happened. A riot van arrived quickly and police took them all outside and arrested them.

“A lot of our locals didn’t believe it when they heard.”

Police said at the time that ‘up to seven people’ were still potentially on the loose but told the Gazette yesterday that it is likely closer to “one or two”.  A spokesman for the Home Office explained that it would initially have to be determined whether the men were indeed in this country illegally – as well as their country of origin – before taking action.

If it is confirmed, the Home Office will seek to remove them from the country, but claims for asylum, appeals and court hearings can make this a lengthy process.  As well as other illegal immigrants, police would also like to trace the lorry and its driver. They said it is believed the vehicle had an Irish number plate, and the driver was white and aged about 35 to 40.

Anyone with information about the men who were not found by police or the lorry should call 101 quoting incident 259 of December 17.