VIDEO A POST mortem is due to be carried out today following the discovery of a body in a river in Ipswich's red light district.

A POST mortem is to be carried out today following the discovery of a body in a river in Ipswich's red light district.

The body was discovered yesterday in the river at West End Road, and police have sealed off the area.

A police spokeswoman said the body is that of a man, possibly in his 40s, but is yet to be identified.

The cause of death is being treated as “unexplained” and officers are liaising with other forces to check missing persons' registers.

Carl Greenwood, a builder working on a development of flats next to the river, discovered the body at shortly before 4pm yesterday.

He said his colleague in a crane told him he had spotted something which looked like a body floating in the water.

Mr Greenwood said: “He had thought it was a dead swan. But we both went over and saw it was a body with jeans on face down in the water.

“It did shake me up as you do not expect to see things like that.

“I called my site manager who verified it was a body and he rang the police.”

Police have closed West End Road from the Zest nightclub car park to the end of Ipswich Borough Council's premises.