POLICE searching for the body of murdered shopworker Jenny Nicholl last night cordoned off a wood in her home town.

A police officer was on guard at the scene on the outskirts of Richmond, North Yorkshire, and tape was placed around the edge of the trees to prevent access.

The wood is less than a mile from the Holly Hill Inn, where 20-year-old Jenny's car was found abandoned more than five months ago.

Witnesses said the lane was closed off by council contractors at about 4pm.

The wood lies along a narrow country lane known as Sandbeck, and North Yorkshire Police said last night that the incident was part on ongoing attempts to obtain information into the woman's disappearance.

Jenny was last seen at her family home on June 30. She was reported missing four days later and her car was found abandoned the same day.

A murder investigation was launched last month after detectives admitted they had found nothing to indicate she was still alive.

Up to 40 officers are working to catch the killer, and detectives believe that Jenny's body has been buried or dumped near the town.

Searches of woodland, moors and lead mines have already been carried out in the countryside surrounding Richmond.

Police say Jenny liked to camp out and that she was spotted in the area days before she disappeared.

Officers have previously said they believe the shopworker was killed by a friend or associate.

Two weeks ago, Jenny's mother, Ann Nicholl, appealed for her daughter's killer to tell her what had happened