Body found near burning car

The police have speculated that the car exploded

Detectives are investigating after a man's body was found close to a burning car in Lancashire.

Emergency crews were called to the scene, just off the M61 motorway, after receiving reports of a car on fire.

The burning vehicle was spotted at about 0620 BST on Thursday on a country road close to Chorley.

Lancashire Police said the area was sealed off and a forensic examination of the scene was being carried out.

Acting Detective Superintendent Ian Kennedy said officers were likely to be at the scene throughout Thursday.

He said: "It appears to have caught fire very quickly and been well ablaze when the witnesses first arrived here.

"We want to try to establish what was in the car and things like whether the man was a smoker - could there have been an innocent reason for the fire starting?"

Police are urging anyone who saw the car before the fire, or saw the blaze, to contact them.