Murder police investigate Shevington hazardous body case

The body was found on Kilburn Drive in the Shevington area

A potentially hazardous substance found on a body discovered in a Greater Manchester street is being examined by the murder investigation team.

The body was found on Kilburn Drive in the Shevington area in Wigan, at about 19:00 BST on Thursday.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said they were working to identify the body, which remained at the scene.

The unidentified substance was "low risk" and of "no wider risk" to the community, the force said.

The identity of the dead person and how long the body had been on the rough ground between two houses could not be confirmed by the force.

The substance was low risk, Det Supt Alan Clitherow said

Speaking from the scene, Det Supt Alan Clitherow said a post-mortem examination would take place in "due course" once the body had been removed from the scene.

He said it was a "challenging set of circumstances" and officers were "unpicking exactly what had gone on".

"We don't know what the substance is, we have done some initial inquiries, we know it's low risk... anyone directly in contact with the body should seek medical advice if they feel unwell, but there's no wider risk to anyone else," he said.

Police officers have been on scene since the body was discovered

Mr Clitherow said members of the public should not be alarmed if they saw officers wearing protective clothing to remove the body, saying it was "purely precautionary" and standard procedure.

He added the cordon which remained in place was contained to Kilburn Drive and there was no disruption to the wider area.