A MAN has been arrested following the discovery of a woman's body in a house on Teesside in suspicious circumstances.

The 49-year-old woman, who has yet to be formally identified, was found in the bedroom of her terraced house.

Police were called to the house in Penrith Road, in the Park End area of Middlesbrough, in the early hours of yesterday by the ambulance service.

A Home Office pathologist was called to the scene and a post-mortem examination proved to be inconclusive.

A Cleveland Police spokesman said further tests will now be carried out to determine the cause of death.

The investigation, led by Detective Inspector Gary Curnow, has released no further details or the circumstances in which the woman was found.

Neighbours were shocked to be awoken by the arrival of police vehicles and an ambulance at about 2am on Thursday morning.

Joanne Pennock described the woman who lived in the house as a "lovely woman".

She said: "The police knocked on my door at about 3am asking if we heard anything, but I didn't even know she was dead at the time."

Another neighbour, who declined to be named, said that the woman and her partner had kept themselves to themselves most of the time.

He said: "It was quite a shock to wake early this morning a see all the police cars and the ambulance."

A 49-year-old local man has been arrested and is helping police with their inquiries.