A POLISH woman has appeared in court charged with concealing 13 illegal immigrants in the back of a lorry.

Lorry driver Sylwia Pietrzak, of no fixed abode, entered no plea to the single charge at Bournemouth Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege that she aided in a breach of immigration law, namely illegal entry, by hiding the non-EU member nationals in the rear of the vehicle.

The 13 Albanians were found in New Harbour Road, Poole, on October 23. They had been transported in specially designed crates in the lorry.

The 30-year-old appeared at court for the first time two days after the alleged offence.

On Wednesday she was remanded in custody to appear at Bournemouth Crown Court on November 5.

The Echo understands that all the illegals have been returned to Albania, one of Europe’s poorest countries.

Some people pay thousands of pounds to gangs to transport them across Europe.

Those convicted of facilitating the entry of an illegal immigrant can face up to 14 years in prison or an unlimited fine.

Border Force – formerly the UK Border Agency – is bringing the prosecution. The organisation is a law enforcement command within the Home Office responsible for securing the UK border with immigration and customs controls.

Part of Border Force’s responsibilities include checking the immigration status of those arriving in the UK, searching baggage, vehicles and cargo for illicit goods or illegal immigrants, and patrolling the UK coastline and searching vessels.

Officers work at 140 sea and air ports across the county.

New Harbour Road is the site of the Poole Ferry Port, which offers services from the town to Cherbourg in France, the Channel Islands, and Santander and Gijon in Spain.

The trust port is run by Poole Harbour Commissioners, an independent statutory body which manages the 10,000 acre harbour, the largest natural harbour in Europe.

n Thousands of illegal migrants gathering in Calais are “prepared to die” to reach Britain and access this country’s generous benefits system, the mayor of the French port, Natacha Bouchart, told MPs this week.