A murder hunt is under way after a woman was found with her throat slashed.

The elderly woman's purse was on the ground next to her and police are trying to discover whether robbery was the motive.

A dog walker found the body shortly after 4.30pm yesterday in a lane off Highdown Close, Southwick.

Police taped off both entrances to the lane.

Shortly after 7pm a woman looking for her mother approached officers with a man and child.

She was led away in tears by detectives.

Residents in the quiet close were stunned.

Glenn Chubb, a 24-year-old office administrator, said: "It's absolutely terrible.

"Children play in that lane on their bikes or kick footballs around because it is safe. I did when I was a kid.

"I got home at about 4.45pm and saw an ambulance coming up the road. Neighbours were chatting in the street.

"You see these things on the news but never think they will happen where you live.

"To think something like this has happened just 100 metres from our homes is quite incredible. It's a terrible shock."

James McAulay, a 16-year-old electrical apprentice, returned from work to find the green in front of his home swarming with police officers and an ambulance crew.

He said: "This is such a quiet, peaceful area normally.

"The lane is shrouded on either side by bushes.

"It leads from the close to fields where horses are kept. It is the main area where people take their dogs for walks."

Several garages, lining one side of the lane, are used by residents living in the adjoining street, Highdown.

One resident said: "I just can't believe this has happened."

Police involved in the investigation, Operation Abalone, were carrying out inquiries at homes throughout the area.

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Hibbert, in charge of the case, appealed for help from the public.

He said: "We urgently need to speak to anyone who was in the area and who may have seen something unusual or suspicious.

"This was a terrible tragedy. We are treating this at the moment as an unexplained death and we need to establish all the circumstances surrounding this incident."

Police guarded the entrances to the lane as a small crowd gathered.

Children on bikes pulled up at the police tape. Some raced away to tell friends and more arrived in the close.

Scenes of crime officers arrived shortly before 7pm and donned blue all-in-one suits and masks before setting off down the lane to examine the body.

An ambulance crew had attended the body before the area was sealed.

Uniformed police officers were joined later by members of the Sussex Police major crime branch, which investigates most murders and other serious crimes in the county.

Police guarded the scene through the night while the search for clues continued.

A post-mortem examination is planned.

Officers have appealed to anyone with information to contact the Operation Abalone incident room on 0845 6070999.