UPDATE: Man found dead inside car which "drove into the Thames" had just been released from police custody

The body of a man from Southend was found inside a car in the Thames just hours after he was released from police custody.

The man, aged in his 40s, was found dead inside an MG sports car, which was fully submerged in the river close to the Tilbury ferry terminal.

Emergency services were called to the scene at about 7.35am on Tuesday following reports a car had flown through the safety barriers at the end of Ferry Road and fallen into the water.

The sports car, which had its convertible roof up, was finally recovered from the Thames at about 1pm.

Nobody else was in the vehicle or injured in the incident.

The Canvey coastguard, along with the dive boat from the Port of London authority, helped in the salvage operation.

Coastguard Area Commander Rob Stevenson said: "We were tasked yesterday morning to reports that a car had gone off the pier next to the London Cruise Terminal.

"A few people had seen it happen, it was on CCTV as well.

"He had taken a bit of a recce and then came back and went flying through.

"There were little poles with chains and he had gone through two of them.

"We were concerned that there was someone else in the car as well but when we recovered the vehicle there was just one man."

An Essex Police spokesman said the man is believed to be aged in his 40s and from the Southend area.

He added: "Arrangements were made to convey the man's body to hospital.

"An investigation is now underway to establish how the car came to enter the water but the man's death is not being treated as suspicious.

"The coroner has been informed.

The spokesman added: "Police have made a referral to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), as there was previous contact between the police and the deceased man in the 24 hours prior to his death."

An IPCC spokesman said: "We have had a referral from Essex Police.

"We will consider that referral and make a decision on what level of involvement we need to have.

"We will decide whether we need to investigate or to refer it back to local investigation."