Local residents living around Openshaw Park in Bury have been left shocked after the body of a man was found in a children's playpark.
Emergency services were called to the park at 6.15am on Monday morning, September 5, and tragically found a man dead in the playpark, with police sealing off all entrances to the park for several hours as they worked at the scene. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and paramedics were also at the scene earlier this morning, with both services leaving the area whilst police remained.
Although there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the man's death, the discovery shocked many nearby residents, including some parents whose children were due to start back at St Thomas's Church of England Primary School, which the Manchester Evening News understands closed for the day on the advice of emergency services and officials.
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One mum, who said her daughter was devastated when she found out that she wouldn't be starting her first day of school because of the incident, said police had been in the area since she opened her curtains at 7am. She believed they must have been there since sunrise, and said: "It's so tragic. Any loss of life is very sad but it's even worse in cases like this. I feel very sorry for their loved ones."
Another mum, who said she'd found it difficult to explain the tragic reason behind the school's closure to her young child, was shocked by the sight when she came to drop her children off at school. She said: "I was really surprised to see so many police down here this morning - it must be bad if they're not letting the kids through.
"You don't expect to see things like this so close to a school so it's a bit of a shock. It's not good is it?"
A man who lives nearby said he sometimes sees "a bit of trouble" in the park, but he's never seen an incident this serious here before. He said: "I usually come out here for walks in the morning and it's the first time I've ever seen anything like this. You do get a bit of trouble in here sometimes but that's just scuffles that come with parks so I was a bit surprised when I saw all of the police down here this morning. Not what you expect."
A screen from GMFRS was put up around the man's body whilst police dealt with the incident, which saw police expand the cordon to prevent people from heading down Pimhole Road alongside the park. Inside the park, there was also tape closing off certain walkways, before the entrances were closed off to prevent access to the park completely. Forensic officers arrived at the scene shortly before 8am, with a Tactical Response Unit from the fire service arriving to pack up the firefighter's kit left at the scene.
Another nearby resident said: "Police have been there since I got up this morning at around 7.30am, I heard that someone died which is very sad. I'll be thinking of their family, it's so terrible to lose a loved one at all but it's even worse in such tragic circumstances."
A spokesperson for GMP said: "At around 6:15am this morning (Monday 5 September 2022), we were called to an incident at Openshaw Park, Bury. Emergency services responded where sadly an adult male was found deceased at the scene. The circumstances are believed to be non-suspicious. Enquiries are ongoing."
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