New Appeal Over Man's Death At Market Drayton

Police today (Saturday, 1 September) issued a new appeal for witnesses as they continue to investigate the death of a man found in a field at Market Drayton.

The man is believed to have been wearing a distinctive bandana prior to his death and officers are keen to hear of any sightings of him before he was found at around 1pm on Thursday (30 August) close to where the Shropshire Union canal aqueduct crosses Berrisford Road. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The death is still being treated as unexplained.  

Formal identification has not yet taken place but he is understood to be a local man in his 40s.

Details of yesterday's post mortem are not being released by the police at this time and the results of further tests are awaited.  

Making a fresh plea for information Detective Inspector Andy Parsons of West Mercia Police said: "We are still trying to establish the cause of this man's death and piece together his last movements.

"From what we know it would appear that he may have been at or near that location since the previous evening and therefore it is vital that we talk to anyone who was in the area at the relevant time between about 7pm on Wednesday evening, 29 August, and around 1pm on Thursday.

"Someone on the canal or using the towpath across the aqueduct or the steps up to it from Berrisford Road could have seen or heard something. The man who died is understood to have been wearing a bandana before he was found, which would have made him noticeable, and any sightings of him could be important to our inquiries."  

Anyone who might have information that might help the police investigation is asked to contact police on the non-emergency number 101, quoting the incident reference 313-S-300812.

Issued: Saturday, 1 September 2012