Police have confirmed body parts discovered in a village near Great Yarmouth are those of a woman who disappeared 16 years ago.

Schoolboy Billy Wright stumbled on a jawbone while playing football with his father Simon in the garden of their Cantley home yesterday morning.

Police called to scene sealed the area off and found further body parts on land next to Railway Cottages which forensic officers identified as human.

Detective confirmed this afternoon that the remains are those of missing Cantley woman Christine Allen.

Anglia TV programme editor Mr Wright, 42, said: 'The ball went under the hedge, Billy went to find it and shouted that he had found a bone. I turned it over and noticed it had false teeth, which made us think it was human. It looks like an animal had dragged the bone through the hedge. It was a surprising and rather sad discovery to make.'

Mrs Allen was aged 59 when she was last seen walking from her home at Marie Close on April 8, 1995.

DCI Neil Firm, who is leading the investigation said: 'The death is being treated as unexplained at the moment and the team are continuing to search for further human remains and personal affects.'