A man living in a block of flats in Southport was woken up by police banging on his door as they found a dead body upstairs.
Merseyside Police confirmed they have launched a murder investigation after officers found a 57-year-old's body at a flat on Bath Street in Southport last night. Following the discovery, a 51-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
One man who lives in the basement flat, Sam Alsale, told the ECHO he was woken up around 8pm yesterday (Sunday, July 24) by police banging on his door. He was told he had to leave the block but then had to leave for work. As he left he was asked to hand over his keys and as of 10.45am today he still hadn't been let back into his own home.
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He said: "I was asleep at the time because I work night shifts at the Clifton Hotel round the corner. We had to leave for two hours and no one was allowed in or out after that.
"I had to explain to the officer that I needed to go to work so I had to give him my keys and he went in the flat to get my things. I got back from work this morning and they still won't let me back in. I understand how serious this is but they don't know how long I won't be allowed back in.
"I was scared at the beginning. I opened the door and I was told to stay back at first. I was scared because all I was told was that something serious had happened."
The property manager who appeared at the scene this morning said he had just arrived at the pub last night when he got a call to say there was a death at the building. He told the ECHO: "I got a phone call to say a body had been found.
"When I got here I was shown a photo of the CCTV in the building and then I was asked to leave. I've not been told much since."
One woman, Beth Connolly, 25, from Wolverhampton, is staying a couple of doors down at one of the B&Bs with her family and she said she felt "scared" when police cars descended on the town centre street last night. She said: "They all turned up about 8pm and they were trying to bang the door down for ages. It was scary."
When told it was a murder investigation, the mum-of-one added: "We did think it was something like that. I was scared to go to sleep. We're only here for a week as well."
Detective Inspector Matthew Kerr said: “It is with great sadness that we confirm that a man was found dead at a property on Bath Street. We are in the very early stages of the investigation as we seek to establish what has taken place and how he died.
“We urge anyone who may have seen or know something that might help with the investigation to please contact us.”
Anyone with information is asked to DM @MerPolCC or @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 22000533612.
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