A missing man whose remains were found beneath a motorway flyover could have been hit by a car, a postmortem examination has revealed.

The remains of 28-year-old Vinny Derrick were discovered underneath a flyover on the M60, on the outskirts of Manchester, last Wednesday, more than eight years after he went missing.

Police confirmed yesterday that a postmortem examination showed Mr Derrick, of Castle Donington, had suffered a number of broken bones, consistent with a fall.

Police are not treating the death as suspicious. They said Mr Derrick could have been involved in a traffic collision.

However, Detective Chief Inspector Sara Wallwork, of Stockport CID, said the examination had not provided a definite cause of death.

He said: "This remains a difficult and complex inquiry and the result of the postmortem examination was never going to change that.

"The pathologist concluded that the injuries are consistent with a fall. However, there is also a possibility he may have been involved in a collision with a vehicle."

Meanwhile, MPs have said a single certificate declaring someone "presumed dead" should be brought in to help families resolve all the affairs of a missing person.

The Commons Justice Select Committee report comes after families of missing people, including Mr Derrick's widow, Vicki, appealed to MPs to reform the law. Mrs Derrick said she had found it "extraordinarily difficult" to sort out her financial affairs after her husband's disappearance.

Sir Alan Beith, the committee's chairman, said: "The evidence we have heard from families faced with the problems of resolving these affairs is overwhelming. The law needs to be changed."

Giving evidence to MPs in November, Mrs Derrick said her life had been on hold for eight years.

"I have gone from having a joint income of a husband that earned far more than I earned to being a single mum overnight on a greatly reduced income," she said.

"I have basically been expected to be able to get on with it. There is no help out there for people in my situation."

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "We recognise the emotional and practical difficulties faced by those whose loved ones are missing and thought to be dead.

"We are already working to improve guidance relating to coroners' inquests where a person is missing and presumed dead.

"We will carefully consider all the recommendations from the Justice Select Committee."