AN "illegal immigrant" from Afghanistan has been tracked down and arrested in a picturesque Herefordshire village.

The 38-year-old man had made his way to Pembridge in the back of a lorry which started its journey in Slovenia in eastern Europe.

Once the vehicle stopped at insulation firm Kingspan the man forced his way out before making his way to a tearoom in the centre of the village.

"It was about 7.45am and I was just going to get the papers in when he walked in," said Mark Ratcliffe, one of the owners of Ye Olde Steppes.

"I told him we don't open until 9am. He looked a bit lost and wanted to use the phone but didn't get an answer from whoever he was trying to call.

"He came back at 8am thinking we were open as his watch said 9am. I thought he was waiting for a lift.

"He then came back 20 minutes later and then there was no sign of him. I would say he was in his 30s and he was well dressed."

The Home Office confirmed it was contacted by West Mercia Police last Friday morning.

"Police officers arrested a 38-year-old Afghan man on suspicion of an immigration offence," the department said in a statement.

"The man has been ordered to report regularly to the Home Office while his case is progressed."

West Mercia Police said he was also cautioned for criminal damage to a lorry, believed to be when he escaped from the vehicle.

Kingspan, which is based in Pembridge, confirmed the man came in on a lorry delivering to its Pembridge base from Slovenia.

The firm's media and communications manager, Peter Morgan, said the lorry was "parked for offloading when an illegal immigrant cut one of the curtains and ran off".

Security and police were then called and he was detained in the centre of the village.