AN ILLEGAL immigrant has ended up in Swindon after travelling for four hours in a tiny compartment smaller than a suitcase.

The 33-year-old man, who is thought to be from Sudan or Somalia, emerged from the luggage compartment of the Barnes coach when it stopped off at Churchfields School on Monday night.

The bus was dropping off a group of teenagers who had been on a trip to Belgium with the Swindon Music Service and once the luggage had been removed from under the bus, the man jumped out and tried to walk away.

Donald Scott, 50, was picking up his son Killian, 16, and chased after the man and detained him until the police arrived and arrested him.

Mr Scott said: “I was picking up my son at about 9.15pm at Churchfields when this man rolled out from the bottom of the bus.

“We asked if anyone knew him but he just started walking off so Paul, who was running the trip, and I went after him and in poor French asked him to stop. I am not sure where he was from I think it was Sudan or Somalia but Paul rang the police.

“The space he was in on the bus was smaller than my son’s suitcase.

“They had not stopped since they left Dover after the ferry so he must have been in this space which was about 15 by 20 inches.

“It was very dark in there and must have been extremely cramped.”

The police arrived and the man was arrested on suspicion of entering the country illegally.

An ambulance was also sent to the school to make sure the man had not suffered any injuries as a result of being in the confined space for so many hours.

A spokeswoman for Wiltshire Police confirmed that they had attended the incident and that the man was currently being held in police custody at Gablecross Police Station.

She added that the man will now be dealt with by the UK Border Agency and the ultimate decision over whether he will be allowed to stay or be deported will be up to them.

Barnes coaches refused to make a comment on the incident.