A man who was found dead below a pier, sparking a murder investigation, has been identified.

The 46-year-old was discovered in the footings of Sun Pier, Chatham, at about 9pm last Wednesday, following a 999 call.

The man, who is from the Chatham area, has now been formally identified but police will not be releasing his name.

A murder investigation was initially launched and one man was arrested the same night. But he was released without charge the following day.

Officers have so far been unable to establish the cause of death, which is still being treated as “unexplained”.

A post-mortem took place on Wednesday this week, but further tests are needed to establish why he died.

Emergency services were seen pulling a body from the water using a cradle near the Staples car park.

Police, Kent Fire and Rescue and the Coastguard were on the scene. They were later joined by detectives from the serious crime unit and forensic officers.

The area was taped off until the early hours of the morning.

Police were first notified when someone called 999 after seeing the body in the mud below the pier.

Emergency teams took around 45 minutes to recover the body but remained on the scene for a further six hours gathering evidence.

The Coastguard remained on the scene to assist police until around 2.45am.