A COUPLE from Warrington who were arrested after 39 dead bodies were found in a lorry in Essex have been released by police.

The man and woman, aged 39 and 38 respectively, had originally been bailed by Essex Police until Friday, January 24.

But the force has now confirmed that the pair, named as Thomas and Joanna Maher from Woolston, are no longer on bail and have been released under investigation.

They were initially held on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people in October, two days after the Vietnamese nationals – who were aged as young as 15 – were found dead in the HGV in Grays.

Officers executed a search warrant at an address on Wiltshire Close in Woolston in connection with the investigation, with two Range Rovers, a Chevrolet spots car and a motorbike seized.

Warrington Guardian:

Mr and Mrs Maher had earlier told the MailOnline that they had sold the Scania lorry cab the bodies were found in to a company in Ireland.

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Police also searched a salon on Fearnhead Lane, which is believed to be owned by the latter.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “A 39-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman from Warrington and a 46-year-old man from Northern Ireland, who were bailed until Friday, January 24, have since been released under investigation.”