A man arrested on suspicion of murder following an alleged attack in Ashford is no longer being investigated by police.

Detectives launched a murder inquiry after dad Barry Collins, who was in his 40s and from Hothfield, died in December.

On New Year’s Eve, officers in Bexleyheath arrested a 30-year-old man from the Ashford area on suspicion of murder, but his bail has now been cancelled and he is no longer under investigation.

The attack happened on a grassy area near the Co-op off Brookfield Road at about 8.30pm on Thursday, December 21.

Mr Collins was rushed to King’s College Hospital in London but he died on Saturday, December 30.

After the incident, police tape surrounded the patch of grass which was behind the parade of shops and in front of homes on a neighbouring housing estate.

Police spokesman Sally Smith says inquiries are ongoing and officers are awaiting the results of a pathology report.