A 'MURDERED' rapist whose body has been missing for three weeks may be buried in remote moorland, police have revealed.

The search for Alan Lee Street is now set to focus on land off Haslingden Old Road between Knuzden and Oswaldtwistle and the Rivington Pike area of Chorley, detectives said.

Police believe Mr Street, 26, of Oswaldtwistle, was killed at a house in Padiham in a ‘frenzied attack’ before his body was transported in a blue Mitsubishi Colt belonging to a man they want to question.

Detectives suspect Mr Street was then buried, with tip-offs from the public leading to them to the two sites.

Now police want locals from Knuzden, Oswaldtwistle and Bolton to come forward to help the narrow down the burial site.

As the locations are made up of vast swathes of moorland, officers say they need this assistance before specialist teams can begin searching.

Detective Superintendent Neil Hunter stressed that while they were focusing on the two sites, they could not rule our Mr Street had been buried elsewhere.

He said: “In response to information received from the public these two sites have been identified.

“I am appealing to ramblers or dog walkers in both areas who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously or driving a blue Mitsubishi Colt, particularly on Sunday, December 21, to come forward.

“We are extremely interested in those areas but we have an open mind about other locations.”

Mr Hunter was speaking after forensic tests revealed that blood found in the boot of the Mitsubishi Colt found abandoned in Accrington last week was Mr Street’s.

Mr Street, from Oswaldtwistle, was killed in an attack at a house in Stockbridge Road, Padiham, in the early hours of December 21.

Two men, lorry driver Alan Palmer - the owner of the Mitsubishi Colt - and Peter Leonard, are missing and wanted by police on suspicion of murder.

A 20-year-old Padiham man has appeared before Burnley magistrates charged with Mr Street’s murder.