Postman finds dead body by roadside on his way to work

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http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/lates ... 3679198.jp

By ADRIAN MATHER and MARK MCLAUGHLIN
A POSTMAN was left horrified after he found a dead body lying under a roadside hedge as he made his way to work this morning.
Royal Mail delivery worker Andrew Cunningham made the grisly discovery just after 6am on Ferry Road Avenue, near the Crewe Toll roundabout, as he drove towards the Comely Bank delivery office.

He immediately contacted the police who sealed off the area as forensics officers and officers began an investigation.

Police have now ruled out foul play and said they believed the man, who was in his late 30s, died of a medical condition.

But they added that they were still unsure how he had ended up on the roadside and have appealed to anyone who may have seen the man prior to his death to contact them.

A Royal Mail spokesman confirmed that a worker had found the body "lying under a hedge in the Easter Drylaw area whilst on their way to work".

Residents, many of whom found themselves penned in their homes by police barriers, today said they were "shocked" by the discovery.

Ferry Road Avenue resident Ian Munro, who left for a night shift at around 11.40pm last night, said: "I didn't see anything when I left for work so it must have happened sometime after.

"My daughter spoke to the postman's son who told her that his dad had found the body, but the police told him it would be best for him to go to work and they'd speak t
o him later."

Neighbour William Watson said: "I've lived here for 25 years and have never seen anything like this. They wouldn't let us get past the barriers to get to work this morning, but you can understand that as you can't disturb a police scene."

Fellow Ferry Road Avenue resident Angel Duncan added: "I was woken around 7.30am this morning by police knocking on the door. I was shocked when they told me it was a body."

A postmortem was expected to be conducted on the body this afternoon. Police said that they were also still trying to identify the man in order to contact his family.

A spokesman for Lothian & Borders police said: "We are not in a position to name the man yet and are awaiting the results of a postmortem on the body. We are not treating this case as suspicious, although we will not know the cause of death until the results of the postmortem are revealed."

The full article contains 424 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
Last Updated: 16 January 2008 1:23 PM