Tritubes have been paid to a man who was found dead after a robbery at his workplace in Avonmouth.

The 30-year-old, named by friends and his employer as Turkish man Senel Mansiz, of Lawrence Weston, was found lying on the ground following a raid at M&M Catering Supplies on Thursday night.

Police are treating his death as suspicious and three men, aged 22, 24 and 27, have been arrested and were last night being questioned by detectives.

Yesterday, M&M's warehouse in St Andrew's Road was taped off while a police forensics team combed the area, which is also home to Houghtons Wholesale Meat Ltd and TDG food suppliers.

Avon & Somerset police had not formally identified the dead man's body last night but he was named by friends as married Mr Mansiz, who worked as M&M's night manager and is understood to have been in England for about eight years.

Mustafa Cicek, from the Turkish Community Centre in Gloucester Road, Bishopston, said everyone was saddened by the news. He said: "We don't know what's happened, all we know is that he's died."

Mehmet Yilmaz, the community centre's committee chairman, said: "Senel was a well-respected member of the Turkish community. He was a very sincere person, he didn't have any problem with anybody. Our thoughts are with his family."

M&M Catering supplies doner kebabs, burgers and pizza bases to the food industry along with sauces, food boxes and cutlery.

Paramedics and police were called to the firm's cold storage premises at 7.45pm after a witness raised the alarm. Mr Mansiz was pronounced dead at the scene and yesterday a post-mortem examination was held to establish the cause of death.

Avonmouth councillor Spud Murphy said: "I had a call yesterday from a man who told me the victim died in his arms after the robbery. He was pretty cut up about it and from what he said it sounded like they were after money but the young man put up a fight."

Jamie Fox, 30, a driver at M and J Transport, whose offices are opposite M&M's warehouse, said: "We've heard from some of the lads around the burger van that he was a driver and on delivery to shops and kebab places around the city. We also heard he was off to Cornwall. It sounds like someone was after cash, just going for the blue box and it went wrong."

A spokesman for M&M Catering Supplies last night confirmed Mr Mansiz had died after the robbery but declined to comment further.

Police are appealing for information from anyone who saw a black Audi saloon in the St Andrew's Road area from October 23 onwards to call them on 0845 456 7000 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.