A BODY has been found hanging from rafters on an Old Town building site.

The man, who has not been named, was spotted dangling from rope at about 5.30am yesterday.

The alarm was raised by a resident living near the site in Shelley Street.

Builders confirmed that a body had been found and police had attended.

A Shelley Street resident, who asked not to be named, said his wife made the grim discovery.

Flats are being built on the land and work has only recently begun on garages.

The 58-year-old, who works for a Swindon print firm, said: "My wife was looking towards the garages when she caught glimpse of a bloke. She said that he seemed to be standing.

"We had a closer look and discovered it was a body. He was wearing a blue-grey jacket and grey trousers. The rope looked to be really thin."

Gail Hall, 53, who lives across the road from the building site, said: "It's horrible. This is a lovely quiet street. We've lived here for more than 20 years and there's never been anything like this before.

"The poor man must have been in a terrible state to have done that.

"Apparently a neighbour opened the curtains first thing in the morning and the first thing she saw was the body. It's terrible."

A police spokeswoman said inquiries are being made to establish the man's identity and inform his next of kin.

"We can confirm that a body of a white male was found in the Curtis Street area of Old Town early on Friday," she said.

"At this moment in time we have no other details."

Kevin Shoesmith