THE FORD Motor Company has paid tribute to one of its apprentices after he was found dead.

Thomas Putt, 20, of Wren Close, Leigh, was found along- side Nikki Willis, 23, in a blue Ford Fiesta outside her house in Fox Crescent, Chelmsford, at 11.15am on Monday.

Mr Putt had been an appren- tice for more than two years at Fords Technical Centre, in Dunton.

A spokeswoman for the firm said: “We are shocked and saddened by this news.

“Tom had been an apprentice at Ford for over two years, and on behalf of all his friends and colleagues we would like to offer our deep condolences.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”

The cause of the pair’s deaths is not yet known but police are not treating them as suspicious.