Woods skull hidden for 18 months

The remains of a young woman discovered in woods near a road in East Sussex had been there for less than 18 months, police have said.

The woman's skull was found by children playing near Queensway in Hastings, between Wishing Tree Reservoir and Crowhurst Road, on Monday.

A pelvic bone, fibula and an upper left leg, which had suffered a full break and had been pinned, were also found.

Police said none of the remains appear to have been buried.

The bones are believed to be those of a woman, in her mid-teens to early-20s.

'Protracted investigation'

Sussex Police, who have been treating the death as "unexplained", have begun an inquiry into the circumstances.

Det Ch Insp Adam Hibbert, from the major crime branch, said they expected it to be a "protracted investigation".

But he said the discovery of the victim's upper left leg was "quite a significant piece of information", which police hoped would lead to the identification of the woman.

He added that it was too early to speculate as to the cause of death.

Further searches are being carried out at the site.

Det Ch Insp Hibbert said: "We would still like to hear from members of the public who have any information at all either as to the identity of the victim or how she came to be at the location."