Police have launched a probe after a male patient was found dead inside a catering oven at Kettering General Hospital.

The shocking discovery was made on Friday at Kettering General Hospital in Northamptonshire.

Northamptonshire Police have said they are currently not treating the ‘sudden’ death of the man as suspicious and the area was immediately cordoned off to allow officers to investigate.

To date no details have been released yet explaining how the man came to be in the oven.

A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police said: “We are not treating this death as suspicious and will be preparing a report for the coroner.

“Our thoughts are with the man’s family and friends at this time.”

Julie Hogg, chief nurse at The University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group, added: “We are working with Northamptonshire Police so that they can complete a report for the coroner into the circumstances of this tragic incident.

“Our thoughts are with the man’s family and loved ones. We will not be commenting further at this time.’

A spokesperson for the Care Quality Commission said it had been notified of the death and was investigating the circumstances.

“CQC’s priority, at all times, is the health and wellbeing of people using health and social care services, and all information we receive informs our monitoring of services and future inspections,” they added.

“If we’re not satisfied people are receiving safe care, we will not hesitate to take action in line with our regulatory powers.”