An 82-year-old man missing since yesterday has been found dead on the A249.

It is thought Alfred Cole, who went missing from Ashford's William Harvey Hospital, might have been hit by a vehicle.

He was found on the Maidstone-bound carriageway of the A249, Bobbing at around 2.45am this morning, but had already died.

It is the second time in days the pensioner has been reported missing - he was previously found in Cardiff after police issued an appeal on July 15.

Officers from the police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit are investigating, and are keen to hear from anyone who saw anything.

Detective Sergeant Scott Lynch said: "We have launched an investigation to establish exactly what has happened in this instance.

"As yet we do not have any details on the vehicle that was involved in the collision.

"The road does not have any lighting and it is quite possible that the driver of this vehicle did not know they had collided with a pedestrian.

‘It is important that anyone travelling on the A249 in the early hours of Wednesday morning checks their vehicle for signs of a collision and contacts us immediately if they think they were involved.

"I would be especially keen for drivers of large vehicles to check their vehicles thoroughly."

But it was not the first time the pensioner, who lived in a care home for people with dementia, had gone missing in recent weeks.

Mr Cole, who used a walking stick, was found 200 miles away in Cardiff after going missing from his Mill House care home in Faversham earlier this month.

At the time, Mr Niranjan Francis, who has owned the care home for the last 12 years, said home staff had met with the Care Quality Commision and his family to look into ways of preventing a recurrence.

A spokesman for William Harvey Hospital in Ashford said: "We are aware of the sad death of somebody who was known to our services and would like to express our sincere condolences to their family.

"This matter is now in the hands of the police and the coroner, with whom we are cooperating, and we cannot comment further at this stage."