Woman murdered in 'disturbance'

The trouble started in a park area before spilling onto Oronsay Road

A 41-year-old woman has been murdered in what police have described as a large scale disturbance in Airdrie.

Police said the trouble - involving 20 people - started in a park area in Airdrie's Calderglen Court and then spilled into nearby Oronsay Road.

The emergency services were called and Jeannie Smith, of Oronsay Road, died shortly after being rushed to Monklands District General Hospital.

Several other people were injured in the incident at about 0340 GMT.

Detective Inspector John Lamb, who is leading the investigation, said: "Our enquiries so far tell us that there were at least 20 people involved in this disturbance which resulted in the tragic death of a woman and injuries to several others.

"It is obvious that a number of people were in the area at the time of the disturbance and it is vital that these people come forward and speak to police, no matter how trivial they think their information may be."

A post-mortem examination will be held to establish the exact cause of Ms Smith's death, although the police are already treating it as murder.