A group of 21 Vietnamese illegal immigrants were found hidden inside a truck transporting sparkling water from France to Britain, a UK interior ministry source said Wednesday.

The 10 adults and 11 children were found on November 1 during a search on a truck which had just arrived in Newhaven, southeast England, on a ferry from Dieppe in northeast France.

The minors are now in the care of social services, the source said.

The 10 adults -- five men and five women -- were interviewed by immigration officials. An 18-year-old man and a woman aged 27 have been deported from Britain, according to the source.

The remaining eight, aged between 21 and 28, were required to report to the Home Office interior ministry while their immigration cases are examined.

All 21 said they were Vietnamese.

Romanian national Andrut Mihai Duma, 29, assumed to be the driver, was charged on Friday with assisting unlawful entry to Britain.