A major police investigation is underway after the body of a young man was found on grassland next to a high school in Erskine.

The grim discovery was made by three men making their way to a nearby petrol station in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Police said last night they are yet to formally identity the body but had been in contact with relatives and people who may have known the man.

The death is being treated as unexplained and a team of forensic officers were at the scene gathering evidence for several hours yesterday evening.

The body was found at 5.40am and covered by a tent when police arrived shortly after 6am.

A cordon was set up around the grassland which is bordered on one side by Park Mains High School, with police tape also creating a barrier across an underpass below Rashielee Road.

More than a dozen officers were stationed at points around the cordon to prevent onlookers straying into the parkland where the body lay. A single bunch of flowers was placed on a grass bank near the feet of a watching police officer.

Shortly after 5pm yesterday a black ambulance arrived and the body was removed by two officers in white forensic suits carrying a stretcher.

Colleagues were then seen placing evidence bags in unmarked police cars parked on Rashielee Road.

Detective Inspector Tom Carty, the lead officer at the scene, told The Herald: “The body of a young man was discovered at 5:40am by three men who were walking to the 24 hour garage. They called the police and gave us information.

“We set up a cordon and erected a tent around 6am. A meticulous search was carried out, with every aspect looked at.”

DI Carty added: “We are in the process of speaking to relatives and those who may have known him. The death is currently being treated as unexplained.”

Several elderly woman and a group of young people were nearby when the body was removed.

One woman, who asked not to be named, said: “It's all old people around here. It used to be a nice area. I'm very concerned about what's going on.”

Her 70-year-old neighbour, who didn’t want to be named, added: “It's awfully sad. The family of that young man will be heartbroken today.”

Both women said they had been woken at 2am by a commotion and the sound of sirens, but police could not confirm last night whether this was linked to their investigation.

A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “At around 5.40am police received a report of a man's body being found on ground adjacent to Rashielee Avenue.

“Enquiries are underway to identify the man and officers are treating the death as unexplained pending a post mortem examination.”