A BODY of a rough sleeper was discovered today after lying in bushes in busy Walthamstow town square for weeks.

A Selborne Walk security guard found the body of a man close to the entrance to the shopping centre, while chasing a suspected shoplifter shortly before noon.

Cllr James O'Rourke, High Street ward councillor, said he was told by a police officer that the body had been found on top of bedding in bushes.

Officers are treating the death as "unexplained" at this stage and the deceased has yet to be identified.

Cllr O’Rourke said: “My heart goes out to the person found, particularly given the huge number of people who would have walked past them over the last month totally unaware they were in the bushes, including me.”

A Met spokesman said a postmortem will be held "in due course".