Boy, 12, among tanker stowaways

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The eight stowaways have all now been arrested on suspicion of immigration offences after receiving hospital treatment.

A Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed that two of the stowaways, including the 12-year-old boy, were Eritrean, three were Iraqi Kurds, and the other three were Iranian.

The 55-year-old driver of the German-registered tanker stopped in Abbeywood, south east London, was earlier arrested on suspicion of people trafficking.

Workmen laying water pipes reported hearing banging from inside the tank itself. Witnesses said they spoke to the driver before raising the alarm.

Two children - boys aged 12 and 16 - were found inside along with five adult men and one woman.

Ambulance and fire crews pulled the occupants to safety through a hatch on the top before they were treated with oxygen and taken to hospital.

The drama unfolded underneath a flyover at Harrow Manorway, close to Abbeywood railway station.

Police said the occupants of the tank appeared to have been overcome by gas created by the load, a powdered carbon-based chemical. Witnesses described a strong smell, similar to barbecue lighters.

The tanker is owned by H Freund, a German company with offices in Germany and Runcorn, Cheshire. The company said it was liaising with the Metropolitan Police over the circumstances of the incident.