POLICE are trying to piece together the last movements of a woman whose body was found on waste ground.

The middle-aged woman was found with superficial abrasions to her face which could be consistent with a fall.

A post-mortem examination proved inconclusive and further tests are being carried out to establish a cause of death.

A spokesman for Cleveland Police said last night they were keeping an open mind.

They believe they have identified the woman as a 45-year-old mother-of-three, from Stockton, but are withholding her name until all her relatives are informed.

A worker found her body lying face down on waste land off Parkfield Road, Stockton, on Thursday afternoon. It may have been lying there for 24 hours before it was discovered.

As police forensic experts searched the site yesterday, detectives and uniformed officers began making house to house inquiries.

Police are also examining film from a CCTV camera stationed close by.

The body was found on the cleared site of the Parkfield foundry, an area of land criss-crossed with earth and gravel mounds, and a spot popular with fly tippers.

The policeman leading the investigation into the woman's death, Detective Superintendent John Tough, said: "The question we have got to answer is why was she there? Why would anyone want to go on to waste land?''

The woman was slightly built, about 5ft 5in tall and had short mousy or fair hair.

Under her long sleeved light coloured sweat shirt, bearing a Kickers logo, she wore a sleeve less, black, turtle neck sweater. She had on Falmer jeans and blue and white trainers on her feet.

She was found with a gold wedding band on a finger on her right hand and a gold dress ring with a square or rectangular shaped ruby coloured stone on the wedding finger of her left hand.

She wore a silver bracelet-style Louis Sautine watch with a yellow face.

Police found a metallic, blue-faced Motorolla mobile telephone in a bright yellow case in one of her pockets, along with two mortise keys and a plastic Mr Men key fob containing a photograph of a child. There was also a blue disposable lighter.

She also had two self inflicted tattoos "Kev" and "Sue" in half-inch high letters on her left forearm.

Anyone with information should ring Cleveland Police on (01642) 326326.