Burnt body was that of a woman say detectives

The remains were found by a police dog handler at Sainsbury’s in Chippenham, Wiltshire at 3am on Tuesday.

The body was so badly burnt that officers could not initially identify the age or sex of the victim.

Following a post-mortem examination detectives yesterday said the body was that of a woman in her 40s, but it was still too early to say whether the incident is suspicious. However inquiries continue yesterday, as officers scoured CCTV from the area, Wiltshire Police said.

One line of inquiry concerns three people seen filling a jerrycan with fuel at a garage near the fire, although police said they were keeping an open mind about this.

The discovery was made after the dog handler, on routine patrol, spotted a fire in the car park. After the blaze was put out, police found the body within the debris and launched a major investigation.