The remains of a man's body have been removed to hospital after it was found in woodland in Higham.

The body was taken to Darent Valley Hospital for further examination.

A cordon surrounding the area where it was discovered on Wednesday was also lifted last night.

It comes after dog walkers stumbled on the decomposed remains left lying in woods for up to a year, police revealed.

A fingertip search of the wooded area at the end of Canal Road in Higham, Gravesham, has been carried out.

Detectives are hoping to piece together the cause of the man's death after being called to the scene at around 4pm.

Officers are currently describing the death as "unexplained".

Det Ch Insp Dave Withers said: "There were two dog walkers, their dog was attracted to something in the woodland.

"When they went to investigate they found the remains of what's believed to be an adult male.

"The people who found him contacted some local security guards who contacted us.

"We went to have a look with our forensic teams and found the skeletal remains of what we think is a man.

"It's been here some time, possibly since last summer.

"We're looking for people who may have been around the area last summer.

"It's on a national cycle route between Higham and Gravesend so it's quite well used by ramblers and cyclists.

"If anyone saw someone wearing dark trousers and maybe a green coat throughout the summer we would ask them to contact Kent Police.

"We don't know who he is, it could be that he was homeless and living in the woods here, but it really is too early to confirm that.

"We're working to identify who the person could be."