A NURSE found lying face down in on a snow-covered playing field may have frozen to death, police believe.

Shelley Whitfield, 21, was found fully clothed and lying in the snow 500 yards from her flat in Brandon, County Durham, at 6.50am on Wednesday.

Ms Whitfield, originally from nearby Spennymoor, was not wearing her dark three-quarter length overcoat, which was found nearby with her mobile phone in a pocket.

Detectives say she may have succumbed to the freezing conditions, but they are keeping an open mind and ruling nothing out.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Reddick, who is heading the investigation, said last night: "It is possible that Shelley was overcome by the conditions. That is a line of inquiry we are looking into.

"The conditions were poor that night. It was extremely cold and it was snowing.

"It is a very tragic incident, particularly as she was only some 500 metres from her front door."

He added: "We have been told of instances where people with hypothermia have discarded their clothing, which again is something we are looking into.

"However, it must be stressed that we are keeping an open mind on this and we are ruling nothing out."

Police are keen to establish her movements on Tuesday evening. Ms Whitfield is known to have spent the day with a male friend in Durham, where they went window shopping, before going to the Waterhole pub for a meal and drinks.

She was last seen on closed-circuit TV at the bus station where she went with her friend, so he could catch a bus home to Washington.

Yesterday, colleagues at the University Hospital of Durham, where Ms Whitfield was an auxiliary nurse, were said to have been shocked by her death.

A spokesman for the hospital said: "Shelley had been working with us since August, and was a very popular member of staff.

"The news has come as an enormous shock to her colleagues at the hospital."

A post-mortem examination has been unable to find a precise cause of death, but there were no signs of violence on her body. Toxicology tests will now be carried out.

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 0845 6060365.