A POLICE investigation has been launched after a man was found dead on a West Somerset beach between Christmas and the New Year.

The dead man was reported to emergency services when a walker spotted him shortly before mid-day on Saturday (December 28).

The gruesome discovery was made on Lilstock Beach, not far from the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station construction site.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Constabulary said the man remained unidentified but was thought to be between 40 and 60 years old.

The spokesperson said: “The death is currently being treated as unexplained, pending the outcome of a forensic post-mortem examination.”

There was no indication of how the man came to be on the pebble beach, which is a popular spot for geologists and fossil hunters, and also for sea fishing.

The beach forms part of the Blue Anchor to Lilstock coast Site of Special Scientific Interest.