Police taped off a section of the pavement surrounding the Willam the Conqueror pub in Romford Road , Manor Park, today as they carried out inquiries into how a man came to receive serious head injuries.

The man, thought to be in his 50’s, is believed to have been found by a passerby unconscious nearby the pub in the early hours.

He was rushed to an east London hospital where doctors suspected he had been the victim of a violent assault alerted police.

The pub remained shut and the area around remained cordoned off throughout the day as a potential crime scene.

“Enquiries are still continuing,” said a Metropolitan Police spokesman.