Man stows away on Sandhurst coach

Princes William and Harry have both attended Sandhurst

An illegal immigrant has been found inside Sandhurst military academy after stowing away on an Army coach travelling from Germany.

The Ministry of Defence said the man, whose age is uncertain, had been handed over to Thames Valley Police.

The coach was carrying a number of officers and other personnel, but was driven by a civilian contractor who was responsible for security, the MoD said.

The Sun newspaper reports that the man was originally from Afghanistan.

It claimed that the head of the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, was "incandescent" at the incident.

Sandhurst academy, which is on the Berkshire and Surrey border, provides training for military personnel.

'Reduce the risk'

The stowaway was found in a stairwell of the coach on Wednesday after it passed through the gates of Sandhurst.

The Sun reported his age as 20, but the MoD said he claimed to be only 16.

People with no right to be in the UK will be removed at the earliest opportunity UK Border Agency spokesman

In a statement, a spokesman for the MoD said: "We can confirm that an individual was discovered onboard a coach within the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst having stowed onboard during the coach's transit from Germany.

"The coach was provided and driven by a civilian contractor who has responsibility for the security of their vehicle.

"Security officers in all Army establishments have been informed and reminded of security procedures to reduce the risk of a further incident of this nature."

After his arrest, the man was handed over to officials from the UK Border Agency.

A spokesman for the agency said: "As soon as this individual was discovered he was taken into custody, detained and finger-printed so he could be checked against a range of criminal and immigration watch-lists.

"People with no right to be in the UK will be removed at the earliest opportunity."

Princes William and Harry have both passed through Sandhurst as part of their officer training.