Three suspected people-smugglers and 69 illegal immigrants after a boat was intercepted by officers fro the UK Border Force and the National Crime Agency.

Nub News reported yesterday how the operation, which involved two helicopters, woke residents in Shotley at around 2.30am.

The 69 passengers, thought to be Albanian nationals, were arrested on suspicion of offences under the Immigration Act and will be dealt with by immigration enforcement officers, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

The agency, which focuses on fighting organised crime, intercepted a 30-metre boat off the coast of Great Yarmouth on Tuesday evening after it sailed from the Ostend area of Belgium.

The three crew members, a Latvian national and two Ukrainian nationals, were arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration. The other 69 people, all Albanian nationals, were arrested on suspicion of breaking immigration rules.

"This was clearly a significant incident and a significant attempt to breach the UK's border controls," said Craig Naylor, NCA Deputy Director of Investigations. "We are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle people smuggling networks, and prevent them from exploiting migrants for profit."