DETECTIVES investigating the death of a man found lying in a street near his home have renewed appeals for information from people in the area.

It came after six people were released over the weekend after being questioned by police trying to discover how Anthony Muirhead died.

Mr Muirhead, 25, of Acton Dene, East Stanley, County Durham, was confirmed dead after a police officer, responding to a 999 call, found him lying on his side on a pavement outside a terraced house in nearby Elgin Grove.

The discovery was made following the anonymous call to the emergency services from a telephone box about a quarter-of-a-mile away in Ruskin Close, on what is known locally as the Poets' Estate, in East Stanley, at around 5am on Friday.

A post-mortem examination, carried out by Home Office pathologist Dr James Sunter, at Shotley Bridge Hospital, proved inconclusive.

Additional laboratory tests, on samples taken from the body, are to be conducted at a Home Office laboratory to try to discover the exact cause of Mr Muirhead's death.

Police set up an incident room at Stanley police station and conducted inquiries in the Acton Dene, Elgin Grove and Ruskin Close areas.

Four men and two women, all aged in their twenties and living in the area, were said to be helping officers with inquiries.

But police revealed yesterday that all six had been released pending further investigation.

Detective Superintendent Harry Stephenson, the officer leading the inquiry, said the priority was to piece together the movements of Mr Muirhead in the hours before he was found dead.

An appeal was made to people in the area, particularly anyone disturbed by a late-night house party in the vicinity late on Thursday and into the early hours of Friday, to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room on (01207) 232144.