An inquest has opened into the death of a man who was found dead in roadside undergrowth following an extensive month-long police search.

The body of road worker John Macklin, 44, was discovered in bushes off Trinity Road, Kennington, Ashford, on Thursday, October 27.

At the hearing in Maidstone yesterday (Monday), the coroner recorded that Mr Macklin, from Eastling Road, Eastling, had died from suspension.

The hearing was adjourned until January 16, when a full inquest is due to take place.

Mr Macklin was reported missing after concerns were raised for his welfare on September 26.

His disappearance sparked a huge police search, with dozens of officers seen combing the countryside around Eastling and Sheldwich last month.

Police appealed for information from anyone who may have seen and spoken to Mr Macklin at the William Harvey Hospital on Friday, September 23.

Emergency services, including forensics units, were called to a stretch of woodland on October 27, close to Ashford's Eureka Leisure Park, where a body had been discovered.

Police then confirmed his identity, and said the search for the missing man had been called off.

A spokesman said his family had been informed and his death was not being treated as suspicious.

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