POLICE officers searching for a missing North-East grandmother have found a woman’s body in the West Yorkshire countryside.

A forensic examination of the scene is underway after the body was discovered as part of the investigation to find 55-year-old Pamela Jackson, who vanished from her home in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, in March.

Police working with dogs found the body at about 2pm and said it was ‘some metres’ from the B6138 in the Turvin Road area of Calderdale, near Halifax.

Her partner, 50-year-old Adrian Muir, has appeared at Newcastle Crown Court charged with her murder and is currently on remand.

Mr Muir, a dry stone waller, lived at Calder Terrace, Halifax, less than ten miles from where police have put up crime scene investigation tents to preserve the area.

Durham Constabulary has been working with West Yorkshire Police on the investigation and officers from both forces are at the scene.

A spokesman for Durham Police said: “Police searching for Pamela Jackson have found the body of a woman in West Yorkshire.

“The woman’s body was found in the Turvin Road area, about nine miles from Halifax. No formal identification has been made at this stage.”

Ms Jackson, a mother-of-three, shared her home in The Crescent with her son, Joe.

Despite the nationwide search, there has been no trace of her since the evening of Saturday, March 2.

Originally from Newcastle, Ms Jackson moved to the Chester-le-Street area 12 years ago and was interested in ghost-hunting, spiritualism and healing stones, as well as trading antiques and ornaments.

She has two other sons, Christopher, who lives with his family in Spennymoor and Andrew, who lives in Consett.

Ms Jackson, who had four grandchildren, was the eldest of four girls.

Last month, her sisters said they were unable to grieve properly because they did not know what had happened to her.

Searches of the River Wear and woodland in Chester-le-Street have already been carried out to no avail.

Mr Muir has been remanded in custody to appear at Newcastle Crown Court on June 11.

Anyone with information should contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111.