An ex-bouncer whose body was found at a recycling plant could have climbed into a skip to sleep off the effects of alcohol before being crushed to death.

Police in Middlesbrough said today they were considering the possibility that father-of-four David Griffiths, 39, got into a town centre skip on his way home from a day-long drinking session.

The skip might then have been emptied and its contents compacted before being taken to Teesside Waste Management in Dockside Road, where Mr Griffiths' crushed body was found by workers grading rubbish for recycling last Friday.

Mr Griffiths' death is still being treated as suspicious but officers carried out early morning searches of roadside skips yesterday to try to determine how often they are used as overnight shelters.

Detective Superintendent Mark Braithwaite, who is heading the investigation, said: "We have received information that some containers are sometimes used by people as night shelters. One lorry driver was badly shaken as he was emptying a container recently and two men jumped out.

"I need to know to what extent people are using these containers whether for shelter or other purposes."

Anyone with information can contact Det Supt Braithwaite direct on 07771 771314.