POLICE are today hoping the sailing community can provide a major breakthrough in their investigation into the brutal murder of a Southampton pensioner.

Detectives will be out in force Ocean Village Marina throughout the day as they step up their hunt for the person who killed Delia Hughes.

It comes as police divers took to the marina in the hunt for clue that give a breakthrough in the murder inquiry With the busy bank holiday weekend under way and one week on from the murder of the 85-year-old, officers will be talking to boating enthusiasts in the hope that one of them will have seen or heard something suspicious.

 

The body of Mrs Hughes, a great-grandmother of three, was discovered by family members at her flat in Atlantic Close on August 18. She had received several blows to the head.

Yesterday, police divers descended on the nearby marina, carrying out a painstaking search of an area under a pontoon.

Experts from Thames Valley Police were called in for four hours on Friday to help sift through the metre-deep silt after it was revealed that someone had been seen discarding an item in to the water around the time of the murder.

Detective Superintendent Tony Harris said he would be talking to as many members of the sailing community as possible.

He added: “We know there was considerable movement of people through the marina last weekend with many of them having sailed across to or back from Cowes at the end of Cowes Week .

“A large number of these people do not live locally and may be unaware that the murder took place so close.”

A mobile police incident unit will be set up in Atlantic Close from 6am today.

A man aged 37 and woman aged 29 remain on police bail in connection with the inquiry.

Anyone with information can contact the Operation Anglian investigation team on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 111 555.