A LEADING police officer has spoken of his personal crusade to identify the body of a woman found in woodland almost a year ago.

Experts believe that the woman, whose remains were found in Middlesex last December, may have lived in either Blackburn or Chorley over the past five to 10 years, after tests revealed the levels of strontium in her body were consistent with this area.

The element is derived from rock and soil and passed on to humans who eat animals which have grazed on the land, eat food that has been grown on it or drink water that has passed through rocks containing it.

Det Chief Insp Gordon Green, from the Metropolitan Police, who is leading the investigation, said: "This is our last attempt to find out who this woman is.

"Without knowing her identity, this lady will go to her grave without having anyone there to mourn her and that would be very sad.

"It is also a matter of professional pride for me that we identify her."

The woman, who was found by ramblers, may have lain in woodland for a month before her remains were discovered.

Because she was so badly decomposed, police have been unable to tell if she was murdered or killed herself.

It is thought that she was in her early 20s and a size 16 and wearing an expensive 34E bra. She was dressed casually in a denim jacket, with beige trousers and brown walking boots.

She had no money, keys, jewellery or identifying articles with her.

DCI Green, said: "She has never been reported missing and that has always been a concern of mine. We have checked all the normal databases with no luck and there is nothing on DNA or fingerprints. I am as confident as I can be that this appeal will allow us to finally identify this woman.

"The fact is that we don't know if she was murdered, committed suicide or died of natural causes. She could have simply sat down and had a heart attack and died.

"She was found in an extremely rural location, she had nothing with her, not even a scrap of paper or a receipt and the post mortem examination proved inconclusive.

"There are databases which show different isotopic areas. Blackburn is not particularly high in any isotope, but the profile for Blackburn fitted with the profile for isotopes found in the body and suggested she could have spent some time in the area."

Anyone with information can contact police on 0208 358 0300.