RESIDENTS haven spoken of their horror after a 37-year-old man was found hanging from a footbridge over junction five of the M40.

The horrific discovery was made at 7.30pm on Friday but residents in the nearby village of Stokenchurch were not aware of it until the following day.

Police raced to clear the scene but the find caused chaos for motorists and the northbound carriageway was closed between junctions five and six for about an hour-and-a-half.

A police spokesman said: "There were long tailbacks although we tried to keep disruption to a minimum."

Wycombe district councillor Chris Elliott (Lib Dem, Stokenchurch), lives next to the footbridge at the Cricket Ground, Stokenchurch.

He said he was concerned about the effect that such an incident could have on his two young daughters.

He said: "I don't want to see someone hanging from a bridge.

"I'm a district councillor because I want this village to remain a good place to live and I want my daughters to grow up here in a nice environment and people hanging off bridges does not help."

Police reports indicate the man had been suffering from depression and they are not treating the death as suspicious.

Police have not yet released the identity of the man, who is believed to be from the High Wycombe area.