In the Wandle

Police are trying to determine if a headless body dragged from the River Wandle by police divers on Monday morning could have originated in Croydon.

Pathologists at St George’s Hospital were conducting a post-mortem on the unidentified man while police kept a 100m section of the river downstream of Plough Lane, Wimbledon, sealed off, at the time of going to press.

Unconfirmed reports suggest divers were back in the river, yards from the former home of Wimbledon FC, searching for a head on Tuesday morning.

Police are unclear if the heavily decomposed body broke up naturally or as a result of criminal behaviour. A homicide investigation is pending results from the post-mortem.

A passer-by walking along the towpath alerted police at 9.30am on Monday after spotting the body floating in the river yards from the new Sanctuary housing development.