Homeless man crushed to death in 'tragic accident' after falling asleep in a wheelie bin

The body of a homeless man who was crushed to death after dustmen emptied the wheelie bin he was sleeping in into their lorry has been found at a Wirral recycling plant.

It is thought the 50-year-old man climbed into the large wheelie bin the night before.

A post-mortem showed that the man, who has not yet been named, died of head injuries consistent with being crushed.

Police officers were called to B & M Waste Services in Bromborough on Wednesday morning after workers at the plant made the horrific discovery.

The site was cordoned off by police as they investigated the death.

Police said they were continuing to attempt to trace the man's next of kin and inform them.

Det Ch Insp Dave McCaughrean told the BBC: "At this stage it appears to be a tragic accident, but we are keeping an open mind in relation to the circumstances which may have led up to him being at, or near the bin area".

A spokeswoman for B&M Waste Services said: "We can confirm that the body of a male was found at their materials recycling facility on the morning of Wednesday September 5.

"The body has not yet been identified, but it has been confirmed that it is not an individual related to the company.

"The police were called immediately and are dealing with the matter."