A MURDER inquiry was launched after a man’s body was discovered at a Burnley industrial estate.

Police said 49-year-old Stephen Whitehead had suffered ‘significant head injuries’.

Paramedics were called to units in Balderstone Close, on Heasandford Industrial Estate, after people going to work yesterday morning found the body.

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The land around Pendle Skips and Harrison Engineers was sealed off for most of the day while tests were carried out by officers in white forensic suits.

Police also spent time at the scene speaking to businesses in the area.

Detective Superintendent Paul Withers of the Force Major Investigation Team (FMIT) said: “We are in the early stages of our inquiries and are working to establish exactly how this man has come about these injuries.”

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He said a post mortem examination was now due to take place to establish the man’s cause of death.

Officers were in the process of informing his family last night.

Chris Fildes, who operates a garage from one of the units affected, said: “As soon as I arrived early on, the police had sealed the area off and were telling people that they couldn’t go up there.

“They said they would be about an hour at first but it went on for several hours.

“They have a job to do so all you can do is wait to get back up there, even if you have got lots of work to do.

“It’s awful to hear that they have found a body so close.”

Another employee at one of the local businesses said: “People are saying that it was a man who has been living rough in one of the units for a little while.

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“It’s quiet up here at the weekend as a lot of the business are shut. There has been a lot of police activity but nobody seems sure exactly what has happened.

“It’s very sad though and my thoughts are with the family of the man.”

Police were still to formally identify the body of the man yesterday afternoon.

A police spokesman said: “We were called by the ambulance service at around 8am following reports that a man had been found dead at a business premises on Balderstone Close, Burnley.

“If you have any information about this man’s death, please get in contact with us at your earliest opportunity.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call Police on 101 quoting incident reference 182 of July 27. Alternatively they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at Crimestoppers-uk.org.