The bodies of 39 people have been found in a lorry container in Essex.

Police were called by the ambulance service shortly before 01:40 BST after the discovery at Waterglade Industrial Park in Eastern Avenue, Grays.

The lorry driver, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Essex Police said the lorry travelled from Bulgaria and entered the country via Holyhead, Anglesey, on Saturday.

Early indications are that 38 adults and one teenager have died, the force said.

Ch Supt Andrew Mariner said officers were trying to identify victims but anticipated a “lengthy process”.

“We have arrested the lorry driver in connection with the incident, who remains in police custody as our inquiries continue,” he said.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was “shocked and saddened by this utterly tragic incident”.

In June 2000, the bodies of 58 Chinese immigrants were found in the back of a lorry in Dover. A Dutch lorry driver was jailed the following year for their manslaughter.