Homeless Man Found Dead In Snow

The body of a homeless man has been found in the snow in Lincolnshire.

The man was found dead inside a tent in Retford as the UK is hit by snow and freezing temperatures, the Mirror reports.

Known locally as Ben, the man was a rough sleeper near St Swithun's Church in the town. His body was found early Tuesday morning as the so-called 'Beast from the East' brought bitterly cold weather to the country.

Hazel Newstead, a local scout leader who knew Ben, told the paper: "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.

"We used to chat to Ben over the wall. He was happy here and didn't want to go to a shelter in Worksop.

"He had a tent, sleeping bags and quilts, and we gave him tinned food because he said he had something to cook with. He used to hang his sleeping bags between the trees to air them."

Another local resident Kenny Roach, told the paper Ben had recently come out of hospital where he had been treated for pneumonia.

"He had had his stuff pinched so I arranged to meet up with him to give him some camping gear, money and food," he said.

"Ben was quite comfortable where he was and didn't want to go to Worksop. He wanted nothing to do with drugs. All he needed was a break. This is so sad."

He added that he had offered Ben some work on a new project he was starting, saying he was a grafter who 'just needed somebody to give him a break'.

Police have confirmed that the ambulance service made them aware of a sudden death near to the church at 8.40am on Tuesday.

Many councils across the country have implemented Severe Weather Emergency Protocols for rough sleepers as temperatures plummet, which means if passers-by have concerns about anyone having to sleep rough they can report it to the local authority who will send someone from the Rough Sleeper Team to help.

You can find out more here.

Source: The Mirror

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Snow, UK News, Homelessness, Homeless

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19