A large emergency presence has been called to a cemetery in a Durham village after a man's body was found.
Locals reported seeing multiple emergency services rush to the scene of Ushaw Moor cemetery in the early hours of Thursday morning. Authorities have now sadly confirmed that a man has been pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers are yet to confirm the identity however they believe it to be that of a missing man. His family are in the process of being notified.
No suspicious circumstances are believed to be at play and a file is to be prepared for the coroner.
The cemetery has now been completely cordoned off and will remain closed for the rest of the day. No graves have been damaged in the incident and the cemetery will re-open tomorrow.
Here's what we know so far.
Where has this happened?
The incident has happened towards the bottom end of Ushaw Moor cemetery in Ushaw Moor, a pit village in County Durham.
Currently, Broom Lane and Station Road are partly closed.
When did it happen?
The incident is currently ongoing however according to a witness, fire services and police were at the scene between 6am and 6.30am and a small fire was put out.
Who is there?
Currently, police remain at the cemetery which is completely cordoned off. A tent has been set up as work gets under way. A Crime Scene Investigation Unit is also present. Fire investigation has also been underway.
Earlier, the ambulance service were at the scene.
What have the authorities said?
A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said: Officers were called to reports of a fire in a graveyard in Ushaw Moor at around 6.20am this morning (April 28).
Sadly a man was found deceased at the scene. Enquiries are ongoing to confirm his identity but officers believe it to be that of a missing man and his family are in the process of being notified.
It is not believed there are any suspicious circumstances and a file will be prepared for the coroner.
No graves have been affected.
The cemetery will be closed for the remainder of today but is expected to reopen tomorrow and we would like to thank the public for their patience.
A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said: A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were alerted at 6.08am this morning (Thursday, April, 28) to reports of a fire in a cemetery on Broom Lane, Ushaw Moor. CDDFRS control mobilised two crews to the scene. Despite the best efforts of emergency services, a man was very sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Our thoughts are very much with his family, friends and the wider community at this difficult time.”
A spokesperson for the North East Ambulance Service said: "We were called to an incident at Ushaw Moor cemetery at 6.19am this morning. We dispatched one ambulance crew, but are unable to provide any further comment.
We have also approached Durham County Council for comment as the cemetery is council run.
What have local residents said?
Our reporter spoke to a local resident who witnessed what happened.
They said: "I woke up at about 6.10am. I saw a fire, it was a small fire. I thought it was kids, as you sometimes get. I came downstairs and thought it doesn't look good. So, I phoned for the fire service.
"The fire service arrived and put out the fire. They put tape around the area then the police arrived at around 6.30am. Then a forensics van arrived. It's not what I expected in the morning. Police called me and asked me what I had seen."
