MURDER detectives have arrested a man in connection with the discovery of a woman's burned body in Dummer.

A 27-year-old man from London was arrested in the capital by officers from Hampshire Constabulary on Wednesday evening, before being brought back to the county to be questioned.

The arrest comes almost a week after the woman's charred remains were found just off Wayfarer's Way in Dummer by a dog walker.

Detective Chief Inspector Gary O'Flaherty, leading the investigation, said: "This arrest is just one part of an ongoing investigation and we are continuing to appeal for information and witnesses to the crime.

"We are also still trying to identify the woman."

It was also revealed this week that the woman was wearing a distinctive watch given away by consumer electronics company Hama, which is based in Chineham Business Park.

Detectives believe the body was brought to the scene in a sizeable Eagle-make suitcase before being set alight.

Speaking at a press conference less than half-a-mile from the murder scene, Detective Chief Inspector Gary O'Flaherty said: "Our enquiries so far show that she was dead when she arrived at Wayfarer's Way."

He added that although the identity of the woman is still unknown, it is believed she had light brown or blonde hair, was white, in her late teens to early 30s, about 5ft 6in, and of a slender build.

Detectives also believe that due to the remote location of the site, whoever dumped the body must have used a vehicle.

No details of vehicles seen in the area have yet been released by police. However, CCTV footage from cameras on the M3 is being examined.

Detectives are trying to build a picture of what the victim may have looked like and are conducting numerous forensic tests.

The watch, which features a silver Hama logo, is thought to be one of only 200 given out to employees and business customers in the UK. However, Hama's parent company, based in Germany, also gave away the timepieces.

Ben Jones, product manager at Hama - which employs about 25 people at the Chineham head office - told The Gazette the company has been co-operating in the murder hunt. He said there was "nobody missing from the office".

Mr Jones added: "The watches are used as giveaways for business customers, for people at trade shows or employees. They would have been given to many people so we were not able to help the police any further."

Det Chief Insp O'Flaherty said initial results from a post-mortem examination carried out by a Home Office pathologist at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester have revealed that the victim had never borne children and was healthy prior to her death.

The body remains at the hospital while detectives await test results which, it is hoped, will help to reveal the identity of the woman and the exact cause of her death.

The detective added: "Despite extensive enquiries, we still do not know who this woman is, and we still need the public's help to identify her. She could be a local woman or from further afield, including overseas."

Detectives are not discounting the theory that more than one person may have been involved in the murder.

Officers from the major crime department, based in Grosvenor House, Basingstoke, have been checking all missing person reports and speaking to other forces across the country.

Yesterday, one week after the horrific murder, there was a special uniformed presence in Dummer. Officers stopped cars and talked to locals in the hope that someone may remember something which could lead them to the identity of the victim - or the killer.

Inspector Paul Robertson, the newly-appointed rural inspector for Basingstoke, said the people of Dummer should not be alarmed.

"Dummer remains a very safe place to live and has a very low crime rate," he said. "This is an unusual thing to happen in a small rural location like this and we have additional officers patrolling for public reassurance."

More than 80 police staff are working on the murder investigation and are keen to hear from any dog-walkers, runners, poachers or ramblers who use the area regularly and who may have seen any suspicious activity.

It is the second time in less than 10 years that a body has been found in a suitcase in the Basingstoke area.

In December 2001, the dismembered body of 30-year-old Thero Siriwimala Patapiliyagoda was found in a suitcase dumped near Basingstoke train station.

Thero Nalaka Rathmalane, 35, was subsequently convicted of murdering the housekeeper at Audleys Wood hotel.

Anyone with any information about the Dummer murder should contact the Operation Fletcher investigation team on 0845 045 4545 or the confidential Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.