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Grave exhumed in probe into 2022 death

Ellen Knightin Whitchurch
Ellen Knight/BBC A large blue tent, with four people in white haz-mat suits stood in the entrance to it. They are slightly backlit by a floodlight, and are wearing hairnets and face masks. The tent is in a grassy field, and has low light suggesting an early morning. Ellen Knight/BBC
Investigators set up blue tents to shield the exhumation from view

Police have exhumed a grave and arrested a man on suspicion of murder as part of investigations into the "unexplained death" of a woman in 2022.

In the early hours of Monday, the West Mercia force attended Fenns Meadow Green Burial Ground near Whitchurch in Shropshire.

It came after Essex Police received information about the death of a 57-year-old woman in Telford, with the details passed on to West Mercia colleagues in May.

The arrested man, 62, has been released on bail while inquiries continue.

A large number of police and forensic investigators were on site on Monday, wearing white haz-mat suits.

Three large blue tents were set up around the grave, with officers posted to the boundaries of the site to ensure the scene stayed secure and private.

Ellen Knight/BBC A photograph of eight cars, one of which is in police livery, and three blue tents in a green, grassy field. The sky is grey and overcast, and there is low light. Ellen Knight/BBC
There was a large police presence, starting in the early hours of the morning

The site is a family-run business on a farm that offers "green burials", using biodegradable caskets, coffins, and urns in a meadow setting.

Det Ch Insp Lee Holehouse, from West Mercia Police's Major Investigations Unit, said officers had completed the exhumation, and stated the investigations was unrelated to the burial ground as a business, which he thanked for its cooperation during what he called a "complex operation".

He added that due to the ongoing investigation into the woman's death, West Mercia Police was "unable to release further details at this time, but will do so when we are able to".

Ellen Knight/BBC A photograph of a wooden sign that reads "Fenns Meadow Green Burial Ground." Behind the sign is a large bank of ferns. The sky is grey and overcast, and there is low light. Ellen Knight/BBC
West Mercia Police thanked the owners of the burial ground for their "cooperation and assistance"

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