More than 1,000 unidentified bodies found across England and Wales over the past 50 years could be named as a result of a sweeping cold case review.

Police said they want to "put an end to the story" for many families left bereft by the disappearance of loved ones who have never been traced.

Officers have launched 50,000 review using the latest forensic techniques and public appeals aimed at putting names on the files of non-suspicious deaths.

Officers released sketches of the faces of 18 men and two women found dead on the railways and London Tube network to mark the first stage of the operation today.

They were found dead as a result of suicide, accidents and natural causes in London, Hertfordshire, Sussex, Coventry, Essex and Cornwall over the past 35 years.