Police found eight illegal immigrants crammed into a lorry container on an industrial site in Gosfield.
Police were called to the Old Airfield in Hedingham Road at about 10am on Monday, October 27 after the driver suspected the container had been tampered with.
Acting Sergeant Phill Wiltshire, of Braintree police, said: “There were three lorries in a convoy but only one actually had the immigrants on it.
“It was a tiny little space they were crammed into, they were standing up and I would say the space could have been as small as three foot wide by three foot deep."
A Home Office immigration spokesman confirmed that eight Eritrean men were arrested and taken to Braintree and Harlow police stations.
The spokesman said seven of the men claimed to be under 18 and were left in the care of social services, while another man aged 20 will be questioned.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here