Police believe they have found remains of DJ Derek

Human remains found near Bristol are "very likely" to be those of DJ Derek, police confirm.

The 73-year-old went missing in July last year, with his last known location to be on a bus that left the Gloucestershire town of Thornbury, and "badly decomposed" remains were discovered on Thursday, according to reports.

Items believed to belong to the DJ, real name Derek Serpell-Morris, were found at the scene, say Avon and Somerset police.

DCI Matthew Iddon said: “Earlier today we spoke with the family of Derek Serpell-Morris to inform them of this latest development. While we’re not yet in a position to confirm the remains are of Derek, we strongly believe this to be the case due to personal items found at the scene."

Derek's family have been looking for him since his disappearance last summer, launching the 'Find DJ Derek campaign', and his great niece has said the news could bring an end to the family's uncertainty.

"In a way it would be closure for us if this was Derek but at the same time it would be awful; it would be the worst-case scenario. He used to get the bus to Cribbs Causeway all the time and we always felt that he could have ended up around that area.

“It just feels that we wasted all that time looking in the wrong places when he was there all the time. We are waiting to hear from the police. We are just waiting for that phone call. It just feels awful, we are all sitting here expecting the worse.”

Derek started DJing the late 1970s, known to play ska, soul and reggae, before he retired after a New Year's Eve set at Notting Hill Arts Club in 2013. He even appeared in the video for Dizzee Rascal's 'Dirtee Disco'.

Massive Attack's Daddy G was among those who paid tribute to him after his disappearance, describing him as a "walking musical encyclopedia".

[Via: Bristol Post, BBC, the Guardian]