AN MP has strongly criticised the Government for allegedly making Border Force officers redundant after 12 illegal immigrants were found at Teesport.

The Government has declined to answer questions in the House of Commons by Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP, Tom Blenkinsop about the redundancies.

But following the discovery of 12 immigrants, including five children, in a container in Teesport, Middlesbrough, Mr Blenkinsop has reiterated his criticism of the Government.

The Home Office has confirmed five Albanian adults, five children and two Syrian men were discovered on Monday.

Deportation procedures have started against three Albanians and on Wednesday two more of the group were deported from the country. The five Albanian children has been passed to social services for their ages to be assessed and to consider their cases for asylum. It is thought the Syrian men were taken to hospital after the discovery but have since been released. The Home Office is considering their case.

Mr Blenkinsop, Labour, revealed in the House of Commons in June that Border Force staff from Teesport had been sent to help at other ports across the east coast of the country. However he has been told nine of them, about a quarter of the staff at Teesport, are to be made redundant.

He said: "I believe we should take some more refugees but these people are being transported illegally by people smugglers.

"If we are to take refugees from Syria it has to be done properly. Our borders have to be properly controlled. That's why at the last election the Labour Party proposed boosting border control staff, not make them redundant."

A spokesman for the Home Office was unable to confirm or deny the redundancies but repeated a previous statement stressing that international work to catch people smugglers will continue.