Murder probe after motorway body find

Police launched a murder investigation today after the discovery of a body on a motorway embankment.

Warwickshire Police said the victim - a man aged between about 45 and 75 - had suffered substantial head injuries.

The body was found after a driver reported seeing a fire by the eastbound M45 near Rugby yesterday afternoon.

A team of 15 police officers conducted a search of the six-mile stretch of motorway today as a post-mortem examination was carried out on the body.

Detective Superintendent Adrian McGee, who is leading the investigation, said officers were examining CCTV footage of the motorway.

He added: "I would appeal for anyone who was on the M45 yesterday afternoon between 12.30pm and 1.30pm, to contact the incident room which has been set up.

"Specialist officers are continuing with a meticulous search at the scene of this incident and on a stretch of motorway either side of the scene and the surrounding area."

Firefighters were called to the scene at about 1.15pm yesterday.

On arrival they discovered the body and alerted the police.

The M45 was closed in both directions between its junction with the A45, near Rugby, and its link to junction 17 of the M1.