An inquest into the death of a 37-year-old man whose body was found in a lake will be held today.

The body of James Bartlett, of Corn Street, was discovered on August 1 last year after a member of the public found his dog Nightingale and a pile of clothes beside Ducklington Lake.

Specialist teams searched for his body using boats, dogs and helicopters.

The former Henry Box School pupil was described by a school friend as a well-known character around the town who was never seen without his black-and-white Collie.

The hearing starts at Oxfordshire Coroner’s Court, in New Road, at noon.