POLICE are today due to formally identify a murdered man whose body was found in a shallow woodland grave.

Detectives launched a murder inquiry yesterday after a post mortem on the body, found in Fareham's Forest of Bere, near Wickham, revealed he had died of either one or a combination of unspecified injuries.

Police announced they had identified the man from forensic tests carried out yesterday and he was aged in his early 20s. But his name will not be released until a family member has visually identified him.

A police spokesman said: "The body has been identified from various means, but positive identification remains to be carried out by members of his family and until then his formal identification is incomplete and cannot be revealed formally.''

Meanwhile, a murder squad continues to investigate how he died and how he came to be buried at Upperford Copse picnic beauty spot on Heath Road, one mile north of Wickham.

The post mortem, carried out by Home Office pathologist Dr Allen Anscombe at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, showed the fully clothed man had lain in the grave for several months and was decomposing.

Hampshire police spokesman Jeff Hunter said: "Police investigating the death of a man found dead in the Forest of Bere are now treating this as a murder inquiry.

"A post mortem carried out by Dr Anscombe revealed the man was in his 20s and died from either one or a combination of potentially fatal injuries. Police believe that the body was probably buried in a shallow woodland grave in a copse in the past three months.

"The body was fully clothed and decomposing.''

Forensic experts are continuing tests on the body, clothes and the burial site. These will include DNA tests for identification purposes.

Police issued the following description of the man in the hope someone might remember him from sightings and behaviour before he was killed:

He was white, 5ft 6in, slim, with dark brown hair.

He was wearing a reddish brown zip-up jacket of suede-like material and light-coloured jeans and black Kicker shoes.

The gruesome discovery of the body was made by a man walking his dog on Wednesday afternoon. The dog drew his owner's attention to part of the head poking above undergrowth. He called police on his mobile phone and the scene - popular with walkers and families in the summer - was cordoned off and a mobile incident room set up.

The search of the burial site was made difficult by the snow and frozen earth.

Up to 30 police officers under the control of a detective superintendent are investigating the murder.

Forensic tests are expected to take at least two weeks to conclude.

Anyone who can help police with their inquiries is asked to contact Fareham CID telephone 0845 0454545.