The drivers immediately alerted the police, who found four people in the Formula 1 boat. One was dead and another unconscious. The boat was immediately impounded and the lorry's drivers were taken to a police station.

Team owner Chris Parsonage had flown back to the UK from Athens along with most of his team on Monday. ‘It's very unfortunate,’ he told The Plymouth Herald, ‘and it's distressing for the drivers. This is what happens when immigrants try to get into this country; they take all kinds of risks.’

It’s believed the immigrants had got into the boat as it crossed by ferry from Greece to Ancona in Italy. All four were males aged 21, and police now thought they were Afghans who had travelled from Pakistan.

It is thought the four men had been hiding in the boat for two days before they were discovered. The dead man died of dehydration. The other three were also very dehydrated. Stowaways were also found on two other powerboats which were on the same ferry when returning from the race.