Lindsay Birbeck murder: CCTV of man with wheelie bin released

A man caught on CCTV pulling a blue wheelie bin has been identified as a suspect in the hunt for Lindsay Birbeck's killer, police have said.

The man was seen walking along Burnley Road towards Accrington at about 14:30 BST on 17 August - five days after the 47-year-old disappeared.

A bin, similar to the one in the CCTV, was found nearby when her body was discovered at Accrington Cemetery on Saturday, police added.

Tests found she had been strangled.

Lindsay Birbeck was last seen on CCTV walking on Burnley Road in Huncoat

Lancashire Constabulary has launched a murder inquiry but no arrests have been made.

Teaching assistant Ms Birbeck was last seen in the village of Huncoat on 12 August.

Police said they were trying to piece together her movements after she was last seen on CCTV footage at about 16:00.

Det Supt Andy Cribbin said while the man in the CCTV is now a suspect, he was "conscious that there could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for this footage".

Ms Birbeck's body was found in Accrington Cemetery on Saturday

"If this is you in these images then I would ask you to come and speak to us so we can eliminate you from our inquiry," he added.

In the footage, the man passes the camera before turning down Whitewell Road towards the cemetery.