A BODY was found after a fire in a garage in a village near Dorchester.

Police said that a man was found dead in the detached garage in Church Hill, Piddlehinton, yesterday morning.

Firefighters were called to the building near homes in the village just before 8am after reports that it was ablaze.

Police said that the dead man was from the Piddlehinton area and that they were not treating the death as suspicious.

A police spokesman said: “At 7.56am we received a call from Dorset Fire and Rescue Service reporting a fire in a detached garage in the Piddlehinton area. “A body was discovered at the premises and is believed to be that of a local man.

“Although formal identification has not taken place, the death is not being treated as suspicious.”

According to residents, the road was closed for around six hours between 8.15am and 2pm.

Police and firefighters remained on the scene and conducted a joint inquiry.

The garage was burned to the ground in the blaze. It was one of several belonging to the occupiers of three properties in Church Hill.

Residents said that they awoke to popping sounds and saw the firefighters and paramedics arrive.

They added that firefighters put out the blaze by 8.15am.