POLICE searching for a wife missing for almost two months were today trying to identify a body found under a hedge about a mile from her home.

The badly decomposed body was found in a field in Oswaldtwistle last night and police were hoping to identify the mystery woman today.

Detectives have revealed they are linking the find to a number of missing persons from the East Lancashire area, including Beatrice Ashbolt, of Knuzden.

The 58-year-old mother, from Waverley Road, went missing at the end of May.

Teams of divers and mounted police carried out intensive searches in the weeks after Mrs Ashbolt's disappearance but failed to find any trace of her.

Her husband Fred Ashbolt was the last person to see his wife alive and revealed she had a history of depression and had recently lost her job.

Police said the body of the woman was discovered under a hedge in Oswaldtwistle shortly after 8pm close to a wall in the field at the rear of Nipa laboratories.

Detective Inspector Tony Harling, of Blackburn CID, said: "A post mortem examination is being carried out today and we are hoping to identify the person from her clothing.

Mr Ashbolt has feared the worst for his wife for some time. More than a month after his wife's disappearance, he said: "It has been very difficult to cope, despite the help I have had from my family and the police."

"Not knowing what has happened is the hardest thing to cope with. I think the police are starting to think the worst but there is still some hope she is alive."

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