The discovery of a woman’s body on a Preston street following a “brutal assault” has sparked a murder investigation.
Lancashire Police were called to the scene at 2am on Thursday after reports of an altercation in the Moor Nook area of the city.
A body was found on Pope Lane near the junction with Village drive and detectives mistakenly reported it to be a man when they began their murder probe this morning.
However, it is now known the body is a woman. She is yet to be formally identified.
A 25-year-old man from Preston was arrested close to the scene on suspicion of murder and is still in custody.
Detective Chief Inspector Geoff Hurst, from Lancashire’s Force Major Investigation Team, said: “We are still at the very early stages of our investigation and our priority is getting in contact with the woman’s family.
“We know that she has been the victim of a brutal assault and we have a number of detectives working on finding out exactly what has happened to her.
“I would urge anyone who may have seen or heard anything in the area at the time to get in touch as soon as possible as you could have vital information that could help our investigation.”
DCI Hurst said the woman’s body was left where it was found while officers carried out forensic enquiries, which he warned could take “some time”.
“I would like to reassure local residents that we are trying to keep disruption in the area to a minimum and we have stepped up patrols,” he added.
A post-mortem examination to determine the cause of the woman’s death is set to be carried out.
There is a large police presence in the area and a crime scene investigation tent is in place.
Officers said anyone with information, or who is worried the victim may be a relative, should call police on 101.