THE community of Launceston was stunned and shocked on Tuesday to learn of the discovery of a body in the town.

Police described the discovery of a man's body as "unexplained."

Extra police patrols were being mounted to help give re-assurance to the wider community that their safety was always paramount.

An air of mystery prevailed on the Ridgegrove estate but one resident said an incident such as this did not come as a complete surprise.

However, in the wider town members of the stunned community sought more information on what had happened.

A neighbour, who lives nearby, said: "It came as little surprise in many ways. It almost seemed like an incident waiting to happen.

"Although it is owned by a British resident, there seem to be a lot of foreign people living there.

"It is often very noisy and hasn't really been that much of a shock that something has happened."

Police declined to give out any more details than a prepared statement from their Middlemoor headquarters as the day wore on.

The statement indicated that the police were called to "an unexplained death in Launceston at around 6.40pm on Monday, July 5 2010."

On arrival at the house in Prince Philip Road, Ridgegrove, Dutson, in the Newport end of the town, police officers found the body of a man in an upstairs bedroom.

The body of the man has yet to be identified but police believe him to be "a 42-year-old foreign national."

The statement continued: "Due to the circumstances, police are treating the death as suspicious at this time and an investigation has been opened accordingly."

Scenes of crime officers were examining the scene and taking away material.

The police indicated that the cause of death as the 'Post' went to press was unknown.

The body was taken to Treliske Hospital, Truro, to undergo a forensic post-mortem examination.

Detectives were working with locally-based colleagues to try and establish the series of events and circumstances leading up to the man's death.

Local officers have since mounted high-profile patrols in the area for the time being to provide reassurance to the local community.

No arrests had been made as the 'Post' went to press on Tuesday night.

Anyone with any information on this disturbing incident is asked to contact police via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 quoting police reference 824 050710.