DETECTIVES have admitted that they are still baffled by the discovery of a woman's body on a popular stretch of the North-East coast.

A search for clues was continuing yesterday after the body was discovered on a beach at Redcar, in east Cleveland.

A team of officers carried out house-to-house inquiries around the Coast Road and town centre.

They are hoping to uncover more about how Debra McNicholas died and her movements before her death.

The body of the 44-year-old former teacher, from Redcar, was discovered by a member of the public near the children's play area on Redcar beach, at about 7am on Sunday.

A post-mortem examination revealed she had drowned, but police are treating the death as suspicious because injuries were found on her body.

Detectives say the injuries were consistent with an assault or a fall.

Following publicity over the incident, a member of the public contacted police to say they had seen Mrs McNicholas in Redcar town centre late on Saturday.

Yesterday, officers were sifting through CCTV footage and speaking to other people in a bid to confirm the sighting.

Detective Superintendent Mark Braithwaite, who is leading the inquiry, urged anyone with information to come forward. He warned that the inquiry may come to nothing without further help

"Someone rang to say they were fairly certain they had seen Debra in Redcar, but people have been mistaken before," he said.

"My appeal is still for anyone who knew her or who may have seen her on Saturday late into Sunday morning to contact me."

The mother-of-four, who became a housewife several years ago, is known to have left the house at 11pm on Saturday. Police say the late hour was not a cause for suspicion, but how she ended up at the beach is not clear.

She was well-known in Redcar, and Det Supt Braithwaite described her as "independent, with a wide circle of friends."

Anyone with information should ring the incident room on (01642) 302690.