Human remains found on land at Attingham Park

Police confirmed today that human remains have been found on land belonging to the National Trust in Shropshire and said they are yet to be identified.

But a Facebook page set up following the disappearance of missing Shrewsbury man Simon Rothwell in February 2012, run by his family, said they had been informed by the police about the find and are now waiting for further news.

The remains were discovered on pastureland by the River Tern at Attingham Park, near Shrewsbury on Thursday.

West Mercia Police Detective Inspector Tom Harding said: "The remains are heavily decomposed and an investigation is under way to establish their identity, the cause of death and how they came to be at this location.

"This is likely to take some time and it is being treated as an unexplained death.

"However, at this stage, it is not thought to be suspicious."

The Shropshire coroner, Mr John Ellery, has been informed of the discovery.

Mr Rothwell, who was from Monkmoor and 36 at the time of his disappearance, was last seen in Abbots Road on February 3, 2012.

The 36-year-old had been on a night out with friends and was dropped off by a taxi at about 12.30pm.

The alarm was raised at about 7.45am that morning, after some of his belongings were found on the Underdale side of the Castle Walk footbridge, near the River Severn, by a member of the public.

Several specialist searches were carried out in the weeks following his disappearance, including by the Severn Area Rescue Association, the police helicopter and the underwater search team from Avon and Somerset Police.

However, despite extensive efforts, Mr Rothwell has not been found for more than two years.

A police appeal was launched in February 2013 following the anniversary of his disappearance.

Pc John Higgins, liaison officer for his family, said at the time they remained devastated by his disappearance, which was completely out of character.

Almost 1,500 people are part of a Facebook group dedicated to finding him.