A body found at a Newhaven industrial waste site was crushed to death, a post-mortem has revealed.

Investigations are still continuing to establish the identity of the man's body after it was discovered among black bin waste from Brighton.

Police were called to the industrial site at North Quay Road, Newhaven, at 7.04am today.

Shortly after midday police confirmed the body was that of an adult man.

This afternoon, Dave Ely, a director of Sussex Waste Recycling Ltd, said the body was found by a member of staff after being brought into the yard in a dustcart from the city.

Rubbish is brought into the waste transfer station run by Sussex Waste Recycling Ltd trading, which trades as Rabbit, by its own vehicles on behalf of local councils and by third party companies.

He said: "This particular dustcart was owned by a third party company which had a load of black bin waste from the Brighton area.

"After it left, staff started looking through the waste and one of them saw what he thought was a body.

"At that point the police were alerted and that is as much as we know."

Mr Ely added that members of staff were sent home for the day as police inquiries continued at the site.

He added: "We have no idea when the vehicle collected the waste, whether it was over the weekend or some time last week."

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: "Sussex Police can confirm a body has been discovered in a skip in North Quay, Newhaven.

"Officers are in attendance at this early stage in the investigation."

Neighbouring businesses reported seeing scenes of crime officers coming in and out of the company.

Furniture maker Marc Fish, 38, said: "I got in at 7am and there was an ambulance just leaving and there were two police cars at the front entrance.

"I came up the stairs and I saw a policeman standing inside the yard. Various people have arrived as the day has gone on.

"At about 11am scenes of crime officers arrived and we have also seen officers in blue suits and dust masks go in. Later the coroner's vehicle came in and that left about 45 minutes ago."