Womans body in wheelie bin

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A woman's body found in a wheelie bin in front of a house had been there for at least three weeks, police have said. Surrey Police were called to Hamilton Avenue, Cobham, at 1520 BST on Saturday after a foot was seen sticking out of the green bin. A post-mortem examination revealed the woman suffered a serious head injury but did not establish a cause of death.

Detectives are trying to trace 33-year-old Peter Wallner, who moved out of the house about three weeks ago. A Surrey Police spokesman said he "may be able to provide useful information for the investigation". He is described as a heavy-built white man with broad shoulders, about 6ft (1.8m) tall, with slightly receding brown cropped hair and brown eyes.

The unidentified white woman, believed to be in her 30s, was discovered surrounded by rubbish. House-to-house inquiries and a full search of the area are being carried out.

Residents in the area said they were shocked by the discovery. One woman told BBC News: "It's a very quiet place, it's where you bring up your family. I've lived here for 30-odd years and it's the first thing like this that's happened." She added: "It's quite scary. You think of it as being a safe place, but when you hear of a body being found it's shocking."

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A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife, whose body was found in a wheelie bin in Surrey. Melanie Wallner, who was born in 1976, could have died between August 2006 and May 2009. Police have not ruled out that her body might have been frozen.

Peter Wallner, 33, was arrested at Gatwick Airport on Wednesday after a police search for him. The unemployed German-born chef contacted Surrey Police on Tuesday while staying with his 23-year-old partner Lilia Fenech and her family in Malta.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mrs Wallner suffered a serious head injury, but it did not establish a cause of death. Her body is thought to have been in the bin for three weeks before it was found, but it remains unclear when Mrs Wallner died, police said.

A Surrey Police spokesperson said: "Speculation about Melanie Wallner's whereabouts over the last few years could be unhelpful as we currently have a person being interviewed. However we are considering all possibilities as to why it has not been possible to narrow down the time of death."

Mrs Wallner was identified using dental records. Her next-of-kin have been informed. Det Ch Insp Maria Woodall said: "We have received varying accounts from Melanie's family, friends and neighbours about her recent history. Some had thought she moved away from Surrey in the last few years and others believed she may have died in 2006. I am now asking for people's help in building a picture of the last years of her life.

Forensics experts are still searching the property and house-to-house inquires have been extended, a police spokesperson said. Mr Wallner and Ms Fenech rented the property in Hamilton Avenue until about three weeks before the body was found.

Dustmen had refused to empty the wheelie bin and told council bosses that the container was too heavy to lift. Elmbridge council said it contacted the owner of the relevant house in Cobham after binmen reported the issue. The owner told police on Saturday there was a foot sticking up in the bin.

On Monday, police said Mr Wallner hired a white Volkswagen Crafter van on 15 May. The vehicle, carrying two people, was spotted by cameras on the M25 in Kent and close to the docks at Dover two days later.