A homeless man has been found dead inside a tent in Nottinghamshire as the UK continues to be hit by sub-zero temperatures and blizzards.
A body was discovered near St Swithun’s Church in Retford on Tuesday morning, police confirmed.
The man is reportedly known as Ben, a former bricklayer, according to local scout leader Hazel Newstead, who said that locals were “deeply saddened” by the tragedy, reported Lincolnshire Live.
The death is the latest fatality in the UK linked to the severe bout of weather that has brought much of the country to a standstill.
Earlier, a seven-year-old girl died after a car collided with a house in Cornwall, police said.
The girl, believed to be a pedestrian, suffered life-threatening injuries and was declared dead at the scene in Bodrigan Road in Looe.
On Tuesday, a record 3,600-plus alerts were sent to the StreetLink app that helps rough sleepers find shelter as the brutal weather heightened fears.
The app lets members of the public alert homelessness agencies if they fear for the safety of those on the streets.
Some parts of the UK saw temperatures as low as -15C as Storm Emma struck British shores this morning, bringing more snow and wintery showers from the Atlantic.
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “We were called by East Midlands Ambulance Service to a report of a sudden death near St Swithun’s Church, Churchgate, Retford, at around 8.40am on 27 February. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”
Newstead told Lincolnshire Live: “We’re so shocked and saddened by this. He seemed to be a lovely, friendly chap.
“He was living in a tent between a wall and the old church hall off Churchgate near our scout hut.
“He told us he was 53 and used to be a brickie – he even offered to re-do the brickwork on our building.
“He was happy here and didn’t want to go to a shelter in Worksop.”
Ben had told her and her husband that he was originally from the south and had lived throughout Lincolnshire.
The couple had provided him with tinned food because he had cooking equipment, and his tent was filled with sleeping bags and quilts.