A trafficker convicted over the deaths of 39 migrants found in a lorry container has been ordered to pay the victims' families more than £180,000.

The Vietnamese men, women and children suffocated as they travelled from Zeebrugge, Belgium, to Purfleet in Essex, near the border with the Dartford Crossing, four years ago.

A murder investigation was launched after the emergency services made the discovery in the early hours of October 23, 2019, at Waterglade Industrial Park, Grays.

In total, 10 people have been convicted of their parts in the conspiracy and have been sentenced to a total of more than 100 years in prison.

Ronan Hughes, of Armagh in Northern Ireland, admitted 39 counts of manslaughter and one count of assisting unlawful immigration, before being jailed 12 months ago.

The 43-year-old has now been ordered to pay £182,078.90 in compensation to the families of those who died in the tragedy. Each family will receive £4,668.

The sum is made up of assets such as cash, machinery and a property owned by Hughes in Leitrim, County Monaghan.

Detective chief inspector Louise Metcalfe, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, continues to lead the investigation.

She said: "There is no price that can be put on the life of a loved one and money seems so insignificant given what the victims’ families have been through.

"But what this does demonstrate is we are continuing that same determination to secure justice for the victims and their families that we promised in October 2019.

"We will not rest until every single person who we believe to be involved in this tragedy is punished accordingly and their criminal gains recouped and distributed to the families."

A documentary about catching those responsible for their deaths aired in October 2021 – three years after the biggest homicide case in Essex Police's history.

The hour-long show begun with lorry driver Maurice Robinson making a 999 call to the ambulance service saying he had found the bodies.