Toddler among 26 migrants found in refrigerated lorry in France

Twenty-six migrants, including a two-year-old, were discovered in a refrigerated lorry at a ferry terminal near the northern French port of Dunkirk on Saturday, the emergency services said.

The toddler, whose Iranian mother was also in the lorry, was taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia after the migrants were found in the lorry early on Saturday as they attempted to reach the UK.

"The ferry terminal security service contacted emergency services after the discovery of a group of 26 migrants in a refrigerated lorry," the regional rescue services authority said in a statement.

The two-year-old, suffering from "mild hypothermia", was taken to hospital in Dunkirk for treatment.

Migrants from the Middle East and Africa regularly attempt to reach Britain from France after having travelled up through Europe, smuggling aboard lorries about to cross the Channel by ferry or the Eurotunnel.

Earlier this week, Human Rights Watch accused French authorities of routinely using pepper spray against migrants – including children, even as they sleep or pose no threat.