THREE people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of a man in Taunton.

Police were called to French Weir Park at around 8.30am today (July 17) after reports of a body in the water.

They arrived at the scene in less than 10 minutes and located the body.

“The man was sadly declared dead at the scene and officers are now prioritising enquiries to identify him and inform his next of kin, however, we do believe he lived locally,” an Avon & Somerset Police spokesperson said.

“A forensic post-mortem examination will be held in due course to establish the cause of the man’s death.”

Neighbourhood Chief Inspector Rebecca Wells-Cole said: “We’re making every effort to identify the victim as soon as we can to update his next of kin and give them the support they need.

“We know this incident will cause upset and distress in the community. At this time we’re treating it as an isolated incident and are not aware of any risk to the wider public.

“Officers with the Taunton Neighbourhood Policing Team will be carrying out high-visibility patrols in the park and surrounding area and we encourage any members of the public to approach them if they have any questions or concerns.

“A cordon will remain in place while enquiries are carried out at the scene and we’d like thank the public for their understanding while this important work takes place.”

Anyone who was in the area between 8am and 8.30am and saw or heard anything suspicious, or has doorbell, CCTV or mobile phone footage which would be of relevance to the investigation, should contact police on 101, quoting reference number 5224185832.