The local couple who were fined after they reported an illegal immigrant who had travelled into the UK from France on their motorhome bike rack, have had the penalty cancelled.

Adrian and Joanne Fenton, from Heybridge, were slapped with a £1,500 fine after they arrived home from holiday to discover a young man hiding under the cover of their bike rack.

Despite immediately reporting the police, the couple were told they'd have to pay due to "failing to check that no clandestine entrant was concealed" in the vehicle as they crossed the English Channel. This was despite border officials at Calais also not noticing the man during checks.

Border Force, which is part of the Home Office, have now reduced the fine to £0. It comes after significant public uproar, with the Maldon constituency MP John Whittingdale arguing in the Commons on Wednesday that the couple should be "thanked rather than punished" for their actions.

The Fenton's told BBC Three Counties Radio that they were "ecstatic" about the Home Office's change of heart, adding that the Home Office should "be looking at their policy and make sure it's fit for purpose and not targeting holidaymakers."