A lorry driver who discovered seven illegal immigrants in his trailer and immediately reported them to Customs officers is furious after being fined £14,000.

David Black was returning from Germany when he drove out of Dover docks and saw a hand waving from the side of his trailer.

He immediately drove back to the docks and alerted Customs officials who called the police and arrested the immigrants.

Mr Black was then given an on-the-spot fine of £14,000 for illegally bringing the five men, one woman and baby into the country.

Mr Black, 43, of Gibbon Road, Newhaven, is now refusing to pay the fine, issued by the Home Office immigration department. He says he will appeal.

His wife, Patricia, 51, who was on the journey, said: "We loaded up with computers in Marl in Germany and the trailer was padlocked and had a steel cable around it.

"The journey went fine until we were leaving Dover and saw a hand waving from the trailer.

"They had used a piece of mirror to slice through the plastic curtains which made us panic and we drove straight back to the docks.

"We called to a security guard and the police were called. They came and broke the lock and took them away."

Mrs Black, who has run DT International for four years, believes the immigrants got on to the lorry on the Calais-to-Dover ferry because it was the only time the vehicle was out of their sight during the five-day trip.

They also discovered the immigrants, who were thought to be from Afghanistan, had not got any food or water with them when they were caught on August 29.

Mrs Black said: "We had big financial problems with the company and only managed to sort them out six months ago. We only have one lorry and a fine of this size will be devastating."

A Home Office spokesman said he could not comment on individual cases but added: "There is an opportunity for people to appeal so long as they have maintained adequate security checks throughout their journey.

"If they can demonstrate they have adhered to a code of practice drawn up with the Road Haulage Association, they can make representations."