Police and a missing persons' charity are hoping a reconstruction of a dead man's face will help them identify him.

Volunteers found the unidentified body two years ago while clearing litter from the woods on Petersham Common between Star and Garter Hill.

They came across a human leg bone with a shoe and sock still attached. More human remains were found nearby in a sleeping bag.

Officers at Twickenham CID began an investigation to identify the remains, but police have still been unable to discover his name.

The man was believed to be between 35 and 45, white, between 5ft 9ins and 5ft 11ins tall, and had been living rough in the woods in a makeshift camp.

It is possible that he may have suffered from a medical condition that would have led to neck pain and ear ache, and he may have walked with a limp.

Police have launched the new appeal with the aid of the National Missing Persons Helpline (NMPH), a charity dedicated to finding missing people, which has produced a facial reconstruction of the dead man.

Teri Blythe, the charity's head of ID and reconstruction, said: "As the shape of his skull dictates the shape of his face, the clay is built up to illustrate the soft tissues of his face. We hope the reconstruction will spark recognition from a member of the public and provide more information to help identify him so his family can be informed."

An episode of the BBC Three series, Runaways, due to be shown tomorrow night, will feature the work of the charity as well as police officers conducting the enquiry.

Anyone with information should call Twickenham CID on 020 8247 7032 or the NMPH on free on 0500 700 700 or email id@missingpersons.org.