THREE men were arrested on suspicion of murder on Wednesday (July 17) after a man was found dead in the River Tone.

The man was found dead in the water at about 8.30am and police are treating his death as ‘unexplained’.

The incident happened in French Weir Park, in Taunton, and police said they were working to establish who the man was.

The three arrests were made in an area close to the scene in French Weir Park.

Neighbourhood police Chief Insp Rebecca Wells-Cole said: “We are 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 are treating this 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 inquiries are carried out at the scene and we would like thank the public for their understanding while this important work takes place.”

An Avon and Somerset Constabulary spokesperson said officers had arrived at the scene in less than 10 minutes and located the body of a man in the water.

The spokesperson said: “He was sadly declared dead at the scene and officers are now prioritising inquiries to identify him and inform his next of kin, however we do believe he lived locally.”

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

Avon and Somerset Police have appealed for anybody who may have been in the area between 8am and 8.30am and saw or heard anything suspicious, or had doorbell, CCTV or mobile phone footage which could be of relevance to the investigation, to call 101 and quote reference 5224185832.