POLICE have confirmed that the body found in a shallow grave next to the A3 at Petersfield is that of Norwich prostitute Hayley Curtis.

Norfolk police travelled to Portsmouth this week with dental records of the 23-year-old to confirm the identification of the badly decomposed body found in a field next to the motorway just south of Petersfield.

The corpse was discovered last Friday afternoon by a dog walker who contacted the police on his mobile phone.

The site was quickly sealed off and the lay-by next to the ditch was blocked as police began investigations.

A team of 25 officers set up an incident room at Fratton police station in Portsmouth to carry out their enquiry, labelled Operation Gillman.

The body was partially buried in the ditch and was estimated to have been there for between two and six months.

Detective Inspector Tony Adams, leading the investigations, said the circumstances in which HayleyÕs body was found are Òextremely suspiciousÓ.

Police cordoned off an area of the field behind the ditch to carry out a forensic sweep of the site, which is popular with ramblers and local dog walkers.

Home office pathologist Dr Hugh White visited the scene on Saturday morning with a scientist from the forensic science service to carry out his initial examination of the body at the scene.

This was followed by a full post mortem at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, which found no major injuries on the body.

Hayley Curtis was last seen by her family in October 2001 in the Mile Cross area of Norwich. She was reported missing a few days before Christmas.

Hampshire police spokesperson Pauline Davey said: ÒHampshire and Norfolk police are now working together to establish the circumstances surrounding her death.Ó

Police fear that the incident is linked to a series of attacks on prostitutes from the red light district of Norwich.

Kellie Pratt (28) vanished from the same area in June 2000 and has not been seen since. The body of Nathalie Pearman (16) was discovered on the outskirts of Norwich in November, 1992.

The horrific discovery has shocked the village of Weston, where the body was found.

Councillor for the Buriton and Weston area, Peter Bradbury, said he was extremely shocked by the news.

ÒWhen I heard what had happened I couldnÕt quite believe it. This is a quiet area and not the sort of place you would expect to find something like this.Ó

Interviews have been carried out with local residents in an attempt to gain any information about activity in the area over the past few months.

Police are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area in the past six months. Anyone with any information can contact Hampshire Police on 0845 0454545.