A 54-year-old man arrested in connection with the murder of Sharon Birchwood has been bailed pending further inquiries.

Mrs Birchwood's body was found at her home in Harriotts Lane, Ashtead, on Friday, December 7. It is believed she had been dead for 24 hours before her body was found.

A postmortem examination revealed Mrs Birchwood, who suffered from MS, died of asphyxia.

The man, from Banstead, was arrested on Monday morning and taken to Guildford police station.

He was released yesterday.

As part of the ongoing police investigation, officers from Surrey Police were conducting searches of a house in Epsom and Banstead on Monday while more than 6,000 leaflets have so far been distributed to residents and businesses appealing for information.