Four asylum seekers hitch a ride to Britain in Blair's new bullet-proof BMW

Many voters would consider his government responsible for the influx of immigrants to Britain.

But four asylum seekers have a special reason to thank Tony Blair for their arrival on these shores.

The four men hitched a ride in the back of a lorry delivering the former Prime Minister's new £100,000 BMW.

They got a considerable fright when the doors of the car transporter opened... inside a police garage.

The officers who opened the doors were nearly as shocked as them.

The modified dark-grey BMW 7 series saloon with bulletproof glass and reinforced doors had been made at the German company's headquarters in Munich.

The lorry and its container should have been impregnable but the asylum seekers - thought to be from the Indian sub-continent - are believed to have smuggled themselves inside in northern France.

They were found in Vauxhall, South London, on Wednesday morning and arrested.

Police returned the car, which was paid for by the former prime minister, to BMW, saying its security had been compromised.

A BMW spokesman said: "We are co-operating with the police and have launched an inquiry."

It is understood the four men are now claiming political asylum.

A source said: "It makes a complete mockery of our border controls.

"They got quite a shock when they realised where they were."

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Scotland Yard confirmed that police arrested four men who were inside a car transporter which had just delivered a vehicle to police premises in South-West London.

A spokesman said: "They were arrested by police for alleged immigration offences and remain in custody.

"Police are liaising with the Immigration Service."

The four men are being held at a police station.

The BMW 7 series includes Bluetooth wireless technology, a satellite-navigation system and voice control as standard.

Special features available to Mr Blair include security glass for £1,160.

BMW's bomb and bullet proof cars have armour built into their bodywork on the factory production line so they are virtually indistinguishable from ordinary models.

Kevlar, a bullet proof fabric, is concealed beneath the bodywork and floor.

The car also features "run flat" tyres that work even after being hit by gunshot.

BMW also provides an air supply for the passenger compartment in case of a gas attack.

The Office for National Statistics said 574,000 immigrants came to live in Britain between June 2005 and 2006.

Hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers are being granted an "amnesty" to remain in Britain on human rights grounds.

Their asylum claims took so long to process it is now regarded a breach of their right to a family life to make them leave.

At the same time, a record number of British citizens are leaving the country.

An unprecedented 196,000 Britons emigrated last year with Australia, Spain and the U.S. among the most popular destinations.