Search on for family of homeless man who lay dead in a tent for a year

A man found dead in a tent is believed to be Peter Thomas Harrison who was born in Birmingham. Credit: Avon and Somerset Police

An appeal to find the family of a homeless man who lay dead in a tent for up to a year has been launched.

Based on documentation found on the man's body, he has been identified by Avon and Somerset Police as Peter Thomas Harrison who was born in Birmingham and was either 59 or 60 when he died.

But police have yet to confirm this identity.

The body of the man believed to be Mr Harrison was found on August 15 last year off the A370 near Weston-super-Mare.

Inside the tent officers from Avon and Somerset Police found a newspaper dated August 2016, along with a driving license and birth certificate.

They believe he may have died up to a year before his body was discovered.

Investigating officer PC Andy Henderson said it was a "really sad case" of a man sleeping rough whose death had gone unreported:

Anyone with information which could assist in identifying the man should contact police via 101 quoting reference 5217187006.