Seven people have been arrested and escorted from a ship after it was brought in to Portland Port in the UK.

The individuals were on board commercial vessel Chise Bulker, which had travelled to Portland from France, Dorset Police said.

The police received a call from the ambulance service at around 5.40am yesterday in relation to a person on board reportedly in need of medical attention.

Following enquiries, it was established there were reportedly a small number of unidentified individuals that had been located on board the vessel and none of them required any medical assistance.

Dorset Police said the seven are believed to be Albanian nationals.

Officers liaised with the Border Force, the vessel’s crew and other partner agencies and arrangements were made for the vessel to safely dock at Portland Port this afternoon, where the individuals were arrested.

Dorset Police has confirmed eyewitness reports of armed police attending the scene, as a precaution.

A spokesman said: "Armed police did attend to act as a contingency to support the police operation but they were not required to act in an armed capacity.

"We would like to thank all those involved in the multi-agency operation to ensure this vessel could safely be brought into port and those on board taken safely to shore."

A total of seven individuals have been arrested by police and escorted from a ship after it was brought in to Portland Port, Dorset Police say. The individuals were on board commercial vessel Chise Bulker, which had travelled to Portland from France.

Dorset Police received a call from the ambulance service at around 5.40am yesterday in relation to a person on board reportedly in need of medical attention.

Following enquiries, it was established there were reportedly a small number of unidentified individuals that had been located on board the vessel and none of them required any medical assistance.

Dorset Police said the seven are believed to be Albanian nationals.

Officers liaised with the Border Force, the vessel’s crew and other partner agencies and arrangements were made for the vessel to safely dock at Portland Port this afternoon, where the individuals were arrested.
Dorset Police has confirmed eyewitness reports of armed police attending the scene - as a precaution.

A spokesman said: "Armed police did attend to act as a contingency to support the police operation but they were not required to act in an armed capacity.

"We would like to thank all those involved in the multi-agency operation to ensure this vessel could safely be brought into port and those on board taken safely to shore."