The body of a man has been found on a patio behind a house.

Builders discovered the remains when they arrived to carry out work at the home in Buckingham Road, Brighton.

Police last night said they were treating the death as unexplained - the third death of its kind in the city in the past week.

The dead man is believed to be in his early 20s and from Brighton but officers have not yet released his name.

Workmen found his body when they arrived to continue renovations at the property at 8am on Monday.

One worker at the site said yesterday: "You don't expect to find a body when you go into work. We thought he was asleep and tried to wake him up but then realised his chest wasn't moving."

A Home Office pathologist carried out post-mortem test s on the body yesterday but has not yet released the results.

Police said the man's family have been informed.

Detective Inspector Wendy Burton, of Sussex Police's major crime branch, is asking for the public's help to trace the man's final movements.

The Health and Safety Executive is also investigating the death. It is thought the dead man was seen in the area at around 3am on Monday.

Residents in Buckingham Road spoke of their shock at the discovery of the body.

Student Cindi Sorenson, 22, said: "It's such a quiet road and you don't expect anything like that to happen."

Two other unexplained deaths during the past week are also under investigation in Brighton and Hove.

Stephen Vinall, 37, from Brighton, was discovered in East Brighton Park on Sunday morning. Detectives told The Argus they do not believe anyone else was involved and are awaiting toxicology results.

The results of test after the death of Samuel Jones, 26, who was found in Queen's Place, Brighton, on June 24, have not yet been released.