The corpse found wrapped in carpet at a flat in Alderville Road, Fulham, was that of a man, the Chronicle can reveal.

Police sources revealed the discovery after a post mortem was carried out on Friday morning.

The body was fully in tact when it was found, said the source, and there was no trace of bullet wounds or any other serious injury to it.

It could take officers "weeks" to discover the identification of the victim and the cause of death, the source added.

Detectives from the Homicide Squad expect to remain at the flat for several more days, as they look to seal it for the benefit of their forensic investigations.

X-rays conducted inside the flat have revealed no further bodies are there.

Bins full of garden waste produced by the search, which involved digging up the garden, are shortly to be removed.

Two people remain in custody over the discovery, while the owner of the flat, Roy Heath, remains on bail and is still being treated for cancer at a hospice in Lambeth. It is understood he has just weeks to live.