Two refugees believed to be from Iraq hid in a delivery lorry and were arrested at a pharmaceutical factory in Worthing.

The men, both in their 20s, were discovered yesterday in a secret compartment in the articulated lorry at drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline's factory, the town's largest employer.

Staff raised the alarm when a forklift truck driver unloading the lorry, which was delivery raw materials from Germany, heard noises from inside the vehicle.

A GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman said: "The lorry arrived on site at 10am. It had come via Calais and Dover.

"A forklift driver heard a noise and called for security, who investigated and found what looked like a compartment under the lorry.

"Police were called and they opened the compartment and two males were taken out."

The men did not resist arrest and were taken away from the Dominion Road plant without incident.

She said it was the first time the company had experienced anyone trying to smuggle themselves in on its contracted lorries.

Police took the two men to the Sussex Police custody suite in Worthing.

They told police they were 25 and 27 and were from Iraq.

Police spokeswoman Jill Pedersen said: "On the advice of the immigration services, we were advised to release both men to attend Luna House in Croydon, where asylum applications are processed."