A people smuggler who doused his human cargo in bleach in a bid to avoid detection has been jailed for more than three years at Canterbury Crown Court.

Romanian national Costel Nicuta, of no fixed address, was arrested by Border Force officers at the Channel Tunnel entrance in Coquelles near Calais on February 27.

He was found smuggling three Albanian men hidden in a purpose built hide in the roof of a trailer.

When those inside were removed from the vehicle, their clothing was stained with bleach and there was a stench of it in the trailer.

Images released by the Home Office show the damage to the men's clothing.

Nicuta was found with the substance on his hoodie.

But the trailer itself was empty.

The three men required medical treatment before being handed to the French Police Aux Frontieres.

The case was passed to the Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) team and Nicuta was charged with assisting unlawful immigration into the UK and remanded in custody.

Last Thursday he appeared for a for a pre-trial hearing at Canterbury Crown Court via video link and pleaded guilty. He was immediately sentenced to three years and four months imprisonment.

Minister for immigration compliance Chris Philp said: "We are working around the clock with law enforcement and international partners to make sure that people smugglers face the full force of the law.

"This was a horrendous attempt to try and smuggle people into the UK illegally. I hope Nicuta’s imprisonment sends a clear message – anyone who engages in this kind of criminality will be caught and brought before the courts.”

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