MURDER detectives have doubled a reward for information leading to the killers of a man found dead in his burned-out city flat.

West Mercia Police are today putting up posters around Warndon in Worcester offering £20,000 for information leading to the prosecution of the killers of victim Andrew Heath.

The force first put up a reward in January, in a bid to help loosen tongues in the hunt for Mr Heath’s murderers after he was found dead in his Warndon flat in Chedworth Close.

Although several new leads came about as a result of the cash being put up, no one has yet been charged with the 52-year-old’s murder.

However three months on from the fatal fire on December 14, police are convinced someone in the city knows something which will lead to a conviction for the killers of the former doorman.

Detective Neil Austin, deputy investigation leader, said 40 officers were still working on the case full-time “and a family are still out there grieving”.

“We’re now into the fourth month of the investigation, and still have numerous lines of enquiry,” he said.

“It’s a complex and difficult investigation.

“The fire at the scene meant that forensic opportunities were lost and that has pushed us to rely upon the local community, and they have responded.

“We are following numerous lines of enquiry, and we are still sifting through that information.”

He confirmed officers were following up fresh leads after appealing for sightings of what was believed to be a black Audi A4 car seen in the area around the time of Mr Heath’s death, which officers are keen to trace.

“What we still lack is that key bit of information, which may seem insignificant to someone else, but which to us may unlock this case,” said DI Austin.

“We have tried to piece together the movements of Andrew Heath, and the people he associated with, but we still don’t have that key piece of the puzzle.

“Do you know someone who has talked about the fire?

“Do you know someone whose behaviour has changed in recent weeks, who started acting strangely or doing things that were out of character just before Christmas?

“Somebody out there in the local community knows what happened.

“I hope this large reward will be the incentive that will make the difference.”

He reassured anyone coming forward with information about the identity of the killers would be “sensitively dealt with”.

Police can be called by dialling 101, or information passed on anonymously to Crimestoppers by ringing 0800 555111.