POLICE have cordoned off a house in the Withdean area of Brighton amid a murder investigation.

The operation was launched by the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team after the body of a 69-year-old woman was found at the residential address yesterday evening.

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sussex Police were called to the scene where the woman was found dead shortly before 7pm yesterday.

Police cars and vans soon filled the road outside the house, and a cordon was stretched across the entrance to the driveway.

An officer was stationed outside the front door, and forensics teams were seen working at the property, using a camera among other tools to collect evidence.

Sussex Police say the 17-year-old boy who was arrested and the 69-year-old woman found dead are known to each other.

The force said officers "are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to the crime and there is no risk to the local community".