Cyclist speaks of distressing discovery of man's body

The cyclist, who was riding from Bradford city centre to Cleckheaton, came to the aid of another gentleman who made the sad discovery on Bierley Lane at around 7am. 

“I was cycling to work from Bradford to Cleckheaton just after 7am,” said the man.

“I cycled down Bierley Lane just past the scene.

“There was a guy on a bike coming the other way who flagged me down.”

He raised the alarm with the ambulance service and remained at the scene to help the other man and speak with the police.

“I didn’t want to just ride off and leave the other man who was distressed," he said. 

Emergency services were scrambled to the scene on Bierley Lane and a police cordon was put in place.

Nearly half a dozen police vehicles and an ambulance responded to the incident.

The scene on Bierley Lane where a man's body was discovered. (Image: Newsquest)

In a statement, West Yorkshire Police said: "Shortly after 7am this morning, police were called to a report of a concern for the safety of a man found unresponsive on Bierley Lane.

"Emergency services attended and the male was pronounced deceased at the scene.    

"Enquiries remain ongoing to establish the circumstances regarding the death. "

A police cordon and road closures were in place and bus services were diverted from the area.

Police officers made door-to-door enquiries with local residents, many of whom were shocked by the news.

One resident told the T&A: "I heard the sirens going at about 10 past seven this morning.

"It was a quick response. I heard they had found a body. It's scary, isn't it?"

Another resident added: "That's really sad. What an awful thing to happen. The poor soul."

A local councillor spoke about how shocking the news was for the community.

Councillor Matt Edwards (Green, Tong), whose ward covers Bierley Lane, said: "This is sad news and a big shock for the Bierley community.

"It's really important at times like this we don't jump to conclusions and let the police make their enquiries."

A Bierley Lane resident said: "The sirens woke me up this morning and I wondered what had happened."

"It's sad. It's unusual for something like that to happen around here."

One man, who lives near where the body was found, said: "We didn't hear or see anything.

"When my wife left early this morning, she didn't see anything.

"It's usually pretty quiet around here. You don't usually get much in the way of disturbance."

By 10.30 am, the cordon had come down and the road re-opened.