Police are investigating after an engineer died at Falmouth Docks when he fell down the lift shaft of a car ferry undergoing maintenance.

Steve Summerside, a 45-year-old father of two from Sunderland, died at the scene following the incident on board the Irish Ferries owned vessel MV Ulysses on Monday morning.

A police spokesperson said officers and paramedics were called to the Queen Elizabeth Dock at 11.35am following "concerns for a man aboard" the ship.

The spokesperson said: "Officers located a man on board the ship who had sustained serious injuries. The man, in his 40s, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

"The death is being treated as unexplained at this time."

Conflicting reports state that Mr Summerside either fell down the lift shaft or was crushed between the lift and the side of the shaft.

It is unclear whether he was wearing a safety harness at the time of the incident.

A spokesperson for Irish Ferries said: "It's very sad when we heard the news, and our thoughts are with the family of the person who died.

"It's under investigation by the Health and Safety Executive because it's a work place accident but there isn't any more that we can say."

The police spokesperson said CID and scene of crimes officers had attended the scene, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had been informed, and Mr Summerside's next of kin are being traced.

A spokesperson for the HSE confirmed that it is making enquiries into the incident and inspectors visited the site on Monday, but said it is "too early to say that we are officially investigating."

The Cornwall Coroner's office said an inquest into the death had not been launched at the time of going to press.

The 51,000-tonne Ulysses, named after the novel by Dublin author James Joyce and which sails between Dublin and Holyhead, is in the dry dock for an annual refit.

Two men were seriously injured in August 2014 when scaffolding fell on them in the steel stock area of the docks, and the death of a painter in 2009 when he was struck by a piece of plant being moved by a crane.

In another incident a crane inspector reportedly had to climb to the ground with a broken collarbone after he was allegedly injured when one of the docks' cranes was started up while he was on the structure.

In a statement issued by A&P Falmouth late on Tuesday the company said: "A&P Falmouth can confirm that a fatal incident occurred yesterday on board Irish Ferries vessel MV Ulysses. A&P Falmouth would like to take this opportunity in extending its condolences to the family of the deceased in these sad and difficult circumstances, and will provide any assistance as required by the Police and HSE with their investigations into the incident."