Police are working to reunite a mystery man with his family for Christmas after he was found unconscious and seriously ill in a ditch.
The man, thought to be in his 20s, was stumbled upon by a dog walker near Park Lane, Merrow, Surrey, at midday on Christmas Eve, police said.
He was taken to hospital in a serious condition by the South East Coast Ambulance Service.
Surrey Police put out an appeal for information after they struggled to establish the individual’s identity and why he was in the area.
His description – white, 5ft 9ins with a slim build, brown hair, a beard and brown eyes – does not match any missing people logged by the force.
He was wearing a red and white chequered shirt, dark grey Slazenger jogging trousers and red Vans shoes.
Detective Inspector Jak Bowers said: “It will no doubt be heartbreaking for any family to realise that this could be their son, brother or partner who has not returned home yet and to find out in this way, but we have been working all day to find out who he is and because of his condition we’ve not been able to speak to him.
“Having spoken to local residents we believe he may have been in the area since early yesterday morning (December 23) and so it may be that he has been outside, or missing from home since that time.
“If you have been out in the area and have any further information about this man’s movements, or know who he might be, please get in touch so we can reunite him with his family in time for Christmas.
“We are continuing to investigate how the man came to be where he was found, but we don’t believe there to be any suspicious circumstances involved.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Surrey Police by calling 101 or using report.police.uk and quoting the reference number PR/ 45170142882.