A POST mortem examination of a body found in a rural north Essex pond has proved inconclusive, it emerged yesterday .But police announced they believe they have established the identity of the man, who was found in Tendring, near Clacton.

By Roddy Ashworth

A POST mortem examination of a body found in a rural north Essex pond has proved inconclusive, it emerged yesterday .

But police announced they believe they have established the identity of the man, who was found in Tendring, near Clacton.

A local farmer discovered the corpse in Wolves Hall Lane at around 9.10am on Wednesday morning.

It is not known how long the man – believed to be under 40 years of age – had been dead for.

The death is being treated as "unexplained" by the authorities, and the inquiry into the mystery is being led by Detective Superintendent Win Bernard, of Essex Police's major investigation unit.

A spokeswoman said yesterday it could take several weeks for medical tests to pinpoint what exactly had killed the man.

She added his identity would be released once relatives had been located and told of his death.

The man was white, of slim to medium build and had short dark brown hair.

He was wearing a navy blue Ellesse jumper with orange markings, blue jeans, and blue Reef trainers.

The spokeswoman said: "We believe we have identified the man, and we are now endeavouring to trace and notify his relatives.

"We are not in a position to give any more information at this stage.

"However, we would continue to appeal to anyone who was in the area of Wolves Hall Lane during the last week, who might be able to assist us in establishing how the man died, to contact police."

Previously detectives had said it was possible the man was either a rambler or a dog walker.

They appealed for anyone who had seen a stray or confused dog alone in the area.

Anybody with any information concerning the mystery death is asked to call Clacton Police on 01255 221312.