Police say a man whose body was found near the top of a church tower in Leeuwarden had suffered a ‘fatal accident’ after climbing up himself.

The body of the victim, a 33-year-old man from Leeuwarden, was found on a roof 20m up the 85-metre tower of the Church of St Boniface, in the centre of the Frisian capital.

The church is currently clad in scaffolding during renovation work. A man claiming to be a friend of the deceased man told the Leeuwarder Courant he had become concerned about his well-being after he was unable to contact him.

In the course of searching for his friend he climbed the tower and found him dead on the roof.

A specialist fire crew used a cherry picker to retrieve the body early on Sunday morning.

Police said investigations were under way to discover how and why the man ended up on the roof. ‘We have a lot of questions,’ said a spokesman.