A WOMAN has been found dead in a Blackburn street by a taxi driver this morning.

Karen Davies, 47, who police say had underlying health problems, collapsed and died in Audley Street near her home in Blackburn.

Police said the death was being treated as ‘unexplained’ rather than suspicious and tests were being carried out to discover the cause of her death.

There were no obvious signs of injury to her.

Superintendent Neil Esseen said a taxi driver spotted Ms Davies as he drove past the scene at around 4.30am.

After initially driving away the driver returned to the scene and found that she was dead.

Mr Esseen said: “At this stage we are treating this death as unexplained and I would urge anybody who has any information about Ms Davies to come forward.

“I would really like to speak to anybody who may have been in the Audley Street area between midnight and 4.30am.

“Even the smallest amount of information may help us to piece together what has happened so I would urge people to come forward.

“At this time we are unsure what has happened to her, or when, and we would like the public’s help.

“But we do believe at this stage that she was not the victim of an attack.”

There were no signs of injuries on her body and none of her possessions had been taken.

Police said that at around 5.20am a call was received from the taxi driver.

Officers and ambulance crews attended and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination has been carried out and results from toxicology tests could take several weeks.

Anybody with any information should contact police on 01254 51212 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.