A woman whose body was found floating in a pond died from drowning, police said today.

A post-mortem yesterday by a Home Office pathologist established the cause of death and police are still treating it as murder.

A 43-year-old man was being questioned by police in Eastbourne after being arrested on suspicion of murder on Sunday.

The victim, in her early 40s, was found by a member of the public floating in a drainage pond in Dallington Road, Eastbourne, on Sunday.

Police believed she died between 11am and 4pm on Friday and a murder investigation, named Operation Harlequin, has been launched.

The area remained cordoned off while forensic experts scoured the area for evidence.

House-to-house inquiries were being carried out.

The victim was believed to have been from the Hampden Park area.

Today detectives were appealing for the public to come forward with information.

Detective Chief Inspector Martyn Underhill, who is leading Operation Harlequin, said: "We are continuing to treat this as a suspicious death and we desperately need the help of the public in this case.

"We have been trying to gather as much evidence as possible about the woman's final movements. We need to be clear about how she came to be in the pond."

The woman was believed to have died shortly after the England v Brazil game on Friday and police believe World Cup fans returning to work may have seen something suspicious.

Anyone with information should contact the Operation Harlequin incident room on 0845 6070999 or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.