POLICE sealed off a Bury bail hostel after a man's badly beaten body was found there yesterday morning.

Scores of officers descended on the Wash Lane hostel shortly after 9am following a call from paramedics. Both the front and rear entrances were sealed off by police as forensic experts arrived.

It is believed the dead man, an Asian in his late 20s, had been beaten about the head.

Senior detectives at the scene refused to confirm that they were treating the incident as murder.

The man, who has not yet been identified by police, was discovered in a ground floor communal room at the front of the property adjacent to the Blue Bell pub. The hostel provides temporary accommodation to about ten people.

Inspector Martyn Stanhope of Bury police was at the scene. He confirmed: "A male body has been found and we are treating the death as suspicious."

Detective Superintendent Bob Huntbach is leading the inquiry. A post mortem was held last night (September 16) to establish the exact cause of death.

The hostel has been the scene of several disturbances and a woman living nearby said: "There is always trouble down there with people fighting. It has even been set on fire a couple of times before. I wish they would close it down."

"I live on my own and it's an awful thing to have at the end of your street."

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