The death of a man whose body was found by allotments in Oxford is no longer being treated as suspicious.

The body of a man in his 40s was discovered at about 9pm on Thursday on land off Barton Village Road, Barton.

Neighbours said he could have been there for days.

Police in protective clothing searched the scene yesterday. Officers would not confirm whether they had identified the man and were last night awaiting the results of a post mortem examination at the city's John Radcliffe Hospital yesterday.

Oxford police spokesman Lucy Ferguson said it was hard to tell how long the man had been dead because his body was so badly decomposed.

It was found among undergrowth in the middle of disused land, owned by Oxford City Council.

Residents and Barton councillor Mick McAndrews said it could have been there for days because the land, which backs on to housing and a children's play park, is so rarely used.

Albert Trinder, 79, of Fettiplace Road, Barton, who has run Barton Allotments Association with wife Ena for ten years, said he was shocked to hear about the discovery.

He said: "You just don't expect it to happen. I can't understand how the body came to be there because the land is hardly ever used.

"There's about 30 people who go to the allotments regularly, but people tend to stay away because there are signs up saying it's private land.

"I was there on Sunday cutting the grass, but didn't see anything suspicious. It sends a chill up my spine to think about it."

Mr McAndrews said the discovery raised questions about the amount of disused land on the outskirts of Barton.

He said: "There's so much desolate land and this just goes to show it can't be left like this.

"It's very disturbing, I wish some kind of regular checks were done."

A woman who lives near the entrance to the allotments, who asked not to be named, said: "It's a bit of a shock because the area is so quiet.

"It's such a shame to think that poor man was lying there while we've been carrying on with our lives."

Police cordoned off the allotments yesterday while the area was searched.

Miss Ferguson said: "We are treating the incident as suspicious and cannot release any information which may jeopardise our investigation."

Anyone with information should call Oxford police on 01865 266333 or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111.