River death man was hit on head

The lorry driver found murdered in the River Severn at Stourport had been struck several times with a "blunt instrument" before he drowned, police have revealed.

Forensic tests have revealed Reginald Southall had multiple injuries to his head and body before entering the water.

A team of 40 detectives have been involved in a major search of riverbanks from the Redstone Lane area to a point just beyond Stourport Bridge.

Searches have also been carried out during the past few weeks within a 10-mile radius of the town centre, including countryside at Rock and Bewdley.

A team of seven divers from the South Wales Police specialist underwater unit were today continuing to search the riverbed for a possible murder weapon and sifting through discarded items found in the water such as a sledgehammer and chisel in the hope they might hold a clue to how Mr Southall met his death.

They also want to find items which were missing when he was found in the river including a black shoe, a mobile phone and a wallet containing £30 to £40.

The searches follow "significant new information" coming to light, although police have refused to reveal further details.

Deputy Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Dean Jones said: "We would like to hear from anyone who may have found or seen items like this."

Mr Southall had strong connections to the Black Country and was still working as a lorry driver for a Halesowen company up until the time of his death.

Detectives have appealed for people finding the missing property or who saw Mr Southall or anyone acting suspiciously between 6.45pm and 8pm on December 4 to come forward.