Detectives have released a computer image of a man whose remains were found in a pond in Lancashire.

It is thought the body had been there for as long as a year.

Detectives said the dead man had suffered severe head injuries.

Forensic scientists have produced an image of what the man, thought to be of Asian origin, probably looked like.

The victim was aged between 20 and 30

His remains were found on 26 July by a woman who was walking her dog in a field off Back Lane in Charnock Richard.

Detective Superintendent Mick Turner, of Lancashire Constabulary, said murder was the only explanation for the man's death.

"There are a number of reasons why I believe this.

"There was no clothing at the scene, no vehicle abandoned nearby, no personal effects on the body and it appeared to have been deliberately secreted."

More than 30 officers are working on the case, with a dedicated incident room set up at Chorley police station.

Witness appeal

Detectives worked with experts from Glasgow University's Human Identification Unit in preparing the computer image of the man's head.

Forensic archaeologists from the University of Central Lancashire and a forensic odontologist from Sheffield were also called in to establish information about him.

He was thought to have been aged between 20 and 30 when he died. He was between 5ft 6ins and 5ft 8ins tall and of slender build.

Despite a preliminary examination of the bones by a Home Office pathologist, there has been no exact cause of death established.

Appeals for witnesses are being distributed in Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati and Hindi.