Shoppers and workers have spoken of their shock after a man has died after reportedly falling from a multi-storey car park in Bury St Edmunds at lunch-time.

Police cordons have been in place preventing access at both ends of the car park in Parkway and an ambulance was positioned at the entrance.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk police said a man who was found injured outside the Parkway car park at about 12.10pm was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police are treating the death as unexplained at this time and the coroner will be informed, but there are reports that he had fallen.

Stephen and Sue Bailey, from Haverhill, who had been shopping in Bury, spoke of their shock at the news.

Mr Bailey, 59, said: “It’s not the sort of thing you expect to hear of. Unbelievable I would say.”

His wife, 54, added: “On top of Christmas as well. It’s just awful for the family.”

Lesley Smart, 30, from Bury, said this sort of incident was unheard of in the town.

“It’s quite frightening really,” she said. “People are just going about their daily business.”

At about 1pm motorists were being told they could leave the car park as long as they were not parked on the top floor.

A spokeswoman for the ambulance service said: “The East of England Ambulance Service Trust was called to reports of an injured man outside the Parkway car park at 12.04pm today.

“An ambulance officer, two ambulance crews and the air ambulance attended and treated a man with a life threatening head injury. Despite the best efforts of the crew, there was nothing to be done and the man was declared deceased at the scene.”