A 27-year-old murder looks set to remain a mystery after a fresh appeal failed to produce substantial new leads.

Tom Hewitt was hit across the head with an iron bar on September 7, 1974, but no one has ever been brought to court for his murder.

Granada TV's Case Unsolved included a dramatic reconstruction of his last hours working at a Bury garage.

His 34-year-old son Paul Hewitt, who lives in Nottingham, hoped that the programme might trigger someone's memory or conscience and that his father's killer would finally be caught.

But despite Bury CID receiving some calls with information following the programme, there have been no significant new leads and Mr Hewitt's death remains a mystery.

The police search at the time of the murder led as far as New Zealand with involvement from Interpol.

The case was believed to have been almost cracked 10 years ago before the leads went cold again.

The programme included footage of Paul visiting his father's grave in Astley Bridge and an interview with the former police detective sergeant in charge of the case, Jim Paterson. After splitting up with Paul's mother, Pam, Mr Hewitt lived with a woman called Sylvia in a semi-detached house in Rosedale Avenue, Sharples, for four years before his death.

They had a son together called David, who is now aged 29, and were due to get married only weeks after the murder.

Paul Hewitt said: "I'm still hopeful about the killer being found. I spoke to Bury Police after the programme went out and they said there had been some phone calls but nothing substantial to go on." A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: "There were a few phone calls following the programme but only with information we already had."