A man has been charged with attempted smuggling after a Vietnamese boy was found in a suitcase in the boot of a car.

The boy, believed to the 16, was taken to hospital after UK Border Force officials made the discovery at 8.30pm on Wednesday at the port of Dover, Kent, police said.

His condition was initially described as life-threatening but he has since improved, according to the force.

The suitcase was found in the boot of a silver Škoda Octavia when it was searched after arriving in the UK from France.

The Crown Prosecution Service authorised that Andrei Iancu, 20, of Buzău in Romania, be charged with attempting to smuggle a person into the UK, police said.

He remained in custody and was due to appear before Medway magistrates court on Friday.