Three people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a body was found dumped in an industrial bin in Southampton.

Two men, aged 28 and 25, and a 20-year-old woman, all from Southampton, were arrested in the city.

They are being questioned at police stations around Hampshire.

The body was discovered by firefighters tackling a fire in a bin on an Industrial Estate in Empress Road early on Sunday.

Hampshire Police said they were attempting to identify the victim but could not yet say if the body was male or female.

Police were called by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service at approximately 3.10am on Sunday when they made the grim discovery while attending a blaze at the scene.

The body was found in a city council trade waste bin outside the Hampshire Property Services premises in the Carlton Commerce Centre, which is between Empress Road and Thomas Lewis Way.

The bin was removed shortly before 1pm on the back of a low-loader.

Detective Inspector Simon Baker, of the Hampshire Major Investigations Team, said a post mortem was being held by a Home Office pathologist to determine the sex of the body and also the cause of death.

A section of Thomas Lewis Way was closed after the discovery of the body.

Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting Operation Waterloo.

Mini-Com users can call the police on 01962 875000.

Information can be given anonymously by calling the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.