A man whose body was found on a Boscombe pavement, following a suspected drug overdose, may have been left there by his former companions'.

The 35-year-old was discovered outside an amusement arcade in Sea Road in the early hours of Monday morning.

Police have confirmed that the death is not being treated as suspicious and a post mortem has proved inconclusive. The results of toxicity tests are now awaited.

The Daily Echo has been told that the man, who is from Bournemouth, had been at a nearby property prior to his death.

A source said his body had been dragged into the street and left there. A shocked passer-by raised the alarm just after 6am.

The man's heartbroken family, who live in another part of the country, travelled to Bournemouth yesterday to identify him.

Our source said the dead man's former companions' had unwittingly been caught on CCTV cameras as they disposed of his body.

Dorset police, who sealed off the area for several hours while officers carried out house to house enquiries, have refused to confirm or deny the shocking claims. They are satisfied no third party was involved in the death.

"Although officers are continuing to carry out inquiries on behalf of the coroner, the man's death is not being treated as suspicious," said a spokesman.

An inquest will be held.

Boscombe West ward councillor Phil Stanley-Watts said: "Leaving a dead man in the street for someone else to find would be a terrible thing to do."

It would be "deplorable", he added.

"There has been an almighty effort during recent years to try and rid Boscombe of its drugs problems. This death is a tragedy of our times."

Floral tributes have been left at the scene, including a red rose with the message: Love ya mate, rest in peace, Nat x'.

Yesterday passers-by stopped at the entrance to an alleyway beside the Gold Rush amusement arcade to pay their respects.

A coroner's officer said the man would not be formally identified until the cause of death had been ascertained.