Detectives leading the hunt for missing Kent man Alexander Brown, who disappeared last October, have now confirmed body parts found in Pentney Ski Lake were his.

Anglers at the popular day ticket complex have been stunned by the discovery. An object believed to have been the body was first noticed floating on the water last December.

But lake regulars believed it was a piece of polystyrene floating near a marginal reedbed and it was not until Bank Holiday Monday that the grim discovery was made by complex owner Bill Atkins.

Police swooped on addresses in Norfolk and Kent as the hunt for Mr Brown’s killer gathered pace.

The 37-year-old plasterer from Beckenham was last seen out drinking with a friend in Swaffham, near King’s Lynn, on October 23.

Tests to find the cause of Mr Brown’s death have so far proved inconclusive.

A man has been questioned over his disappearance.