KENT police have launched an urgent review into why the body of a missing man lay unidentified in a mortuary for two years.

Sean Hutchinson, 20, who lived near Pontefract, West Yorkshire, was last seen on June 21, 2003. His body was found in the sea near the Goodwin Sands on July 8, 2003.

But DNA was not analysed until earlier this year, and Mr Hutchinson’s body, which had been in the morgue at Dover’s Buckland Hospital, was not released to his family until Thursday.

Speaking to a national newspaper, his family said they were devastated to find out he had died two years ago and demanded to know why nobody had queried or reviewed how their son’s body was still in the morgue two years later.

Police are still appealing for information about why Mr Hutchinson left his home in Yorkshire and travelled to Kent.

A spokeswoman said: "Clearly the force is concerned with the processes that resulted in the delay in identifying Mr Hutchinson.

"Everyone involved in the case, including other agencies, are being consulted so we can determine what lessons can be learned for the future.

"We have tremendous sympathy for Mr Hutchinson’s family who we know endured a terribly traumatic time waiting for news of their son."