Hawnby Moor, where the body was found. Photo: Colin Grice CC-BY-SA-2.0

The body of a woman has been found by a member of the public close to where a missing woman was last seen.

North Yorkshire Police said the remains were found on Hawnby Moor in the North York Moors national park at 10.45am today.

The moor is about 3km (2 miles) from Newgate Bank, where former teacher Barbara Colling was last seen walking on 28 January.

The disappearance of Ms Colling, 68, who has dementia, sparked a major search involving Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team and colleagues from other rescue teams, along with local volunteers.

Barbara Colling

On Saturday, a mountain rescue team member was airlifted to hospital after slipping and injuring his back during the search.

Police said the body has not yet been formally identified, but Ms Colling’s family has been informed.