Richmond Council has demanded answers after a man was found dead on a rooftop, where the suspected stowaway is believed to have fallen to his death from a passing plane.

The man, who has yet to be named, was found dead on the roof of an office block near Richmond station on Friday morning (June 19).

Just an hour earlier, police had been called to Heathrow where another man was found in the landing gear of a plane which had arrived from Johannesburg, South Africa.

Incredibly that man was still alive following the 10-hour, 8,000-mile journey. Police, who are still investigating whether the two incidents are linked, said on Monday afternoon that he remained in a "serious" condition.

One expert said this week he believed the survivor may have got inside the plane as he doubted whether anyone could have survived the freezing temperatures and lack of oxygen on the undercarriage of the aircraft during such a long flight.

Richmond Council said if the man found on the rooftop was confirmed to have fallen from the landing gear of a passing plane it would be the third such death in the borough in the last three years.

One of the previous victims had fallen onto the roof of a parked car in a residential road in East Sheen, it said.

Councillor Tony Arbour, cabinet member for community safety, said: "If this is really the case, that someone could be so unhappy with their life that they had to get away, then it really is a tragic situation.

"With a possible expanding Heathrow, and more flights coming in and out of the airport, someone really needs to take responsibility.

"I demand reassurance from the government, Heathrow and all airline carriers that they are going to sort out their clear security issues. How long will it be before someone falls onto a resident?

"Three incidents in three years is three too many. Someone needs to take responsibility for this breach and guarantee the safety of people in Richmond upon Thames, before any more tragic deaths occur."

A spokeswoman for Heathrow said it could not comment at this stage as the incidents were still being investigated by police.