Renewed calls have been made for a fresh inquest into the death of former Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones and for his body to be exhumed.

Jones, a founding member of the rock group, died in 1969 when he drowned while taking a midnight swim at his Hartfield, Sussex mansion.

There are conspiracy theories about his death and his girlfriend at the time, Anna Wohlin, believes he was murdered - claims repeated in last year's film Stoned.

The coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure but a new investigation has cast doubt on the official account that Jones drowned after taking a cocktail of drink and drugs.

A BBC documentary last night claimed Jones, 27, had drunk the equivalent of only three-and-a-half pints of beer and the drugs found in his system could have been prescribed sleeping pills.

Trevor Hobley, who has spent more than three years probing the death, will present his dossier of evidence to the Attorney General in the hope of a fresh inquest.

Mr Hobley, 56, is chairman of the Brian Jones fan club, and has hired a team of forensic experts and a lawyer to help his investigation.

He said: "We have come across some really damning new evidence - between the BBC, myself and the lawyer - and we are going to present it to the Attorney General in an attempt to have the death by misadventure verdict replaced by an open verdict.

"This will then allow us to go to the next stage of having a fresh investigation and a new autopsy."

Mr Hobley believes the only way to get to the truth of what happened to Jones is to exhume his body from its grave in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

He said: "Brian Jones is the silent witness who carries the exact cause of his death and the only way that we're ever going to get to the truth is to have Brian Jones' body exhumed."