A charity trying to identify a woman whose body was pulled from the Thames in London more than 40 years ago has revealed its latest tip suggests she could have been living in Yorkshire.

Locate International recruited a forensic artist Hew Morrison to create an image of the face of the woman who was found drowned in the Thames in 1977. The image, created from photos taken at the scene, led to “significant” information being reported to the charity which links the woman to Leeds.

A tip has suggested that the woman may have been living with the informant’s mother in Leeds. The charity is now looking for anyone who may have known the woman – or can link her to the Leeds area – to contact them.

The woman was 5’6” tall, with brown eyes, and short brown hair. She was also smartly dressed, found wearing black trousers, a blue overcoat, black shoes and a red and white striped blouse. The body was found at the bottom of the stairs leading to the south bank of the Thames by Vauxhall Bridge.

The image of the Lady in the Thames (Credit: Hew Morrison/Locate International)

It is thought she left her lodgings unexpectedly, possibly heading for London, leaving all of her belongings behind. She never came back to collect them.

A statement from Locate said: “We are hoping that the Leeds link may be the key to solving this tragic mystery. The creation of the image was part of a fresh appeal for information, and it proved to be very effective, bringing in 14 submissions of potential leads.

"Of the leads generated, two proved to be very useful, the most fruitful being centred in Leeds. We are now tantalisingly close to solving this case, being able to identify the woman, and inform any family she may have had.”

Dave Grimstead, CEO and co-founder of Locate International added: "Despite this case being 45 years old, our experience tells us it can still be solved. This year alone, our teams of volunteers have solved cold cases just like this one, and we have brought closure to the families involved. The participation of local communities really is key, and any detail really may help us bring the vital clues needed to solve this mystery."

Anyone who has information is asked to contact Locate International via its website here.

Lady In The Thames: Charity investigating death of mystery woman reveals Yorkshire link