Police have found the family of a man who died after his ashes were found in Basingstoke.

Basingstoke police said in a tweet that they are pleased to reveal that the family saw the appeal and contacted the cops.

The remains will be returned to the family, police said.

However, the cops did not reveal how the ashes ended up near a house in Ketelbey Rise in Basingstoke on Thursday.

Police had issued an unusual appeal on Thursday after a member of the public called police at around 5.30pm on Friday, May 7.

The urn was found near his house.

It contained remains of Paul Ash, who died on 5 January, 2007 aged 59 and was cremated at Basingstoke Crematorium on 17 January of the same year.

His last known address was in The Drive, Oakley, Basingstoke, but his next of kin no longer resides there.

The urn was approximately 8ins tall, bronze in colour, found in a red crushed velvet drawstring bag, and was accompanied by a note containing details from the crematorium.

In a family announced, published in The Gazette in January 2007, loved ones wrote: "Paul Ash passed away peacefully on January 5, 2007.

"Will be sadly missed by all his family and friends."

A service to remember Paul was held on Wednesday, January 17, of that year. Donations were made in his memory to St Michael's Hospice via the funeral directors Geoffrey Church & Co. 48 Bishopswood Road, Tadley.