A man was found dead in woods near a Sainsbury's supermarket almost three months ago - but has still not been identified.

Details of the grim discovery in Ashford emerged as an inquest was opened into his death this week.

It was revealed that a walker found the body in a patch of woodland along Simone Weil Avenue on October 27, 2022.

The court at County Hall in Maidstone heard that while travelling along their normal morning route near Sainsbury's, the member of the public noticed a strange smell coming from the woods.

Upon investigating further amid the trees, they discovered a "severely decomposed" body.

Emergency services were called to the scene, and the body was removed following extensive investigations.

Assistant coroner Sarah Clarke told the court that due to the body's state of decomposition, identification still had not been able to take place, pending DNA analysis.

While it is not being treated as suspicious, the medical cause of the man's death has also yet to be confirmed, with it currently being listed as "unascertained".

A police spokeswoman said: "We were called at 11.18am on Thursday October 27, 2022, to an area of woodland off Simone Weil Avenue, Ashford following the discovery of a body.

"Officers attended and a man was declared deceased. No suspicious circumstances were identified and a report has been prepared for the coroner."

The tragic discovery came on the same morning that a body was located in the month-long search for John Macklin.

Mr Macklin, 44, was discovered in bushes off Trinity Road, Kennington – fewer than three miles away from the unknown man on the same morning.

At an inquest hearing in Maidstone, the coroner recorded that Mr Macklin, from Eastling Road, Eastling, had died from suspension.

The woodland in question was also the site of another horrific discovery some 15 years ago, when the headless body of Ashley Dighton was found.

The 19-year-old had been partially stripped and a carrier bag containing his t-shirt and a missing rib was discovered 100 metres from the remains.

His shoes were found nearby but his trousers were gone and, most disturbingly, he had been beheaded and was missing parts of both arms.

Both Ash's head and his killer have never been found.

The inquest into the unknown man's death was opened and suspended to be heard at a later date.