Three people arrested on suspicion of trafficking people into the UK after a police pursuit on M2 near Chatham have been released pending further investigation.

Officers started following a car and a foreign registered lorry on the motorway at 7.30am yesterday (Tuesday) and tactically brought both vehicles to a stop on the hard shoulder.

After the short pursuit officers arrested a 28-year-old woman, and two men aged 28 and 33, were arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration.

It is understood both vehicles were being used to traffic several people into the country.

Two men and a minor, who were found in the vehicles and said they were Albanian, were taken to an immigration centre by police.

The minor has now been passed into the care of social services.

Officers also tweeted an apology to any motorists who might have got caught up in the pursuit and were upset if they saw them driving on the motorway this morning.

The tweet said: "We had to make progress through the traffic, without using our lights and sirens, so we could get cars in place to try and stop the suspects safely.

"Not ideal but hopefully you can all see why it was necessary."

A police spokesman added: "Three people were arrested after two vehicles were stopped near to Junction 3 of the M2, coastbound, at around 7.30am."

Home Office immigration officers were contacted by the police following the stop. The department's Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigations are now leading on the case.