Police searching for missing 23-year-old runner find body in forest

A body has been found in a forest search for a runner who went missing five days ago, police said.

Jenny Hall, 23, was last seen leaving her home at Barracks Farm, Tow Law, County Durham, on Tuesday, just after 15:00 GMT.

Her red Ford Focus was found parked on the B6278 between Eggleston and Stanhope on Wednesday.

Durham Police said Ms Hall's body had been found in a "very remote area of Teesdale" shortly after 09:30 GMT on Sunday.

Formal identification has yet to take place but Ms Hall's family have been informed.

The force said it was not treating her death as suspicious and a file was being prepared for the coroner.

Mountain rescue teams have been searching for Ms Hall since Tuesday.

Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team led the search alongside the police and by Friday had covered 60 miles (97km) of paths and tracks.

More than a dozen mountain rescue team members helped and on Saturday seven drones, 10 mountain rescue dogs and more than 60 volunteers took part.

Ms Hall was a keen long distance runner and was known to run through Hamsterley Forest, which is the largest in the county and spans 4,942 acres (2,000ha).

Earlier this week, rescue volunteer Peter Bell said the area was difficult to search.

"The biggest challenge is the area size itself and the terrain," he said.

"The terrain is muddy and boggy."