A CLOSE-KNIT Eltham community is in shock after discovering the body of a man hanging from a tree in the middle of a cul-de-sac on Sunday (December 1) morning.

The man, reported locally as being 26-years-old and of Turkish origin, was pronounced dead by emergency services after they were called to Rancliffe Gardens at 7.53am.

Resident Jerry Meade was horrified to open his curtains and see the figure suspended from a tree with paramedics, police, and forensic experts beneath it.

The father-of-five says children frequently play under the tree and neighbours have been left in shock from the scene.

The 45-year-old said: “It is a very close-knit society and afterwards people are in shock. It hasn’t sunk in fully yet.

"One neighbour got up about 6 o’clock and opened her shutters. She just froze, she said she just shook."

 Resdients believe the young man was a lodger in the close and might have been suffering from depression. His death is not being treated as suspicious.

A Met Police spokesman said: “We were called at 7.53am to a man hanging from a tree. Officers and London Ambulance Service attended but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious.”

Anyone affected by issues such as depression can gain confidential advice and support by calling the Samaritans on 08457 909090 by emailing jo@samaritans.org or by visiting the website at samaritans.org/