A leader of a Shropshire coach pilgrimage to France targeted by illegal immigrants today revealed the shocking moment he saw one in the engine compartment.

Tony Burns, in charge of a Shrewsbury group on a Roman Catholic church organised trip to Lourdes, had feared the migrant was dead.

A group of 44 people, including more than 20 youngsters, was returning from the pilgrimage.

Two immigrants were found on the coach before it boarded a ferry in Calais on Sunday night and another was later found in the engine compartment of the vehicle on board the ferry as it was on its way to Dover.

Today Mr Burns, group leader for the Shrewsbury Cathedral Lourdes group run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury, said: “We were surprised that there were two on board and they were discovered at Calais.

“They then detained us whilst they did all the paperwork. As we were going back down to the coach to disembark once it was on the ferry the driver advised me he had found another one in the engine compartment.

“That surprised me because they had been through it with a fine toothed comb. As I opened the compartment to expose where he was I thought he was dead, which wasn’t a pleasant thought. We managed to revive him and got the ambulance and police.

“We were the final coach of a line of 10 at the end of the compound in Calais where it was very dark, which could have been how they got on.”

Mr Burns said that none of the pilgrims had been on the coach at the time any of the immigrants, believed to be Sudanese, were found.

He urged people to do “whatever they can to ensure they are not targeted in future”.