Migrant's first-hand account of perilous journey to UK in back of lorry

9 August 2020, 13:35 | Updated: 9 August 2020, 13:45

Caller describes perilous journey from Afghanistan to Britain

This caller described the merciless conditions he went through to seek a better life after fleeing Afghanistan.

Waheed phoned in after listening to another caller that criticised people arriving in the UK seeking asylum.

He told Ian Payne that "nobody leaves their home country...for a holiday," in the conditions many asylum seekers go through.

The Afghan went on to explain that he arrived in the UK in a refrigerated container.

He had spent around 24 hours in the container and had no idea how he got from mainland Europe to Dover, because the container was entirely closed off.

"It is very very tough, nobody can imagine how tough it is," Waheed said. He added that he wore 13 pairs of clothes inside the container to keep himself warm.

Although the caller said he didn't plan on arriving in the UK, Ian wondered "how come you got in that lorry in France- why didn't you stay in France?"

"I personally had no idea I would end up here," he said, and told Ian that he just went along with what the smugglers set out for him because he feared they would kill him if he left their sight.

You can listen to Waheed's eye-opening story at the top of the page.