Hunt widens after body found in bin

Peter Wallner, 33, and his partner, 23-year-old Lilia Fenech, have not been seen since the badly decomposed body was discovered hidden among rubbish outside a suburban home in Cobham, Surrey, on Saturday afternoon.

The corpse, believed to be that of a white woman in her thirties, was only discovered after a human foot was spotted protruding from the bin of the semi-detached house.

Mr Wallner, from Germany, rented the property in Hamilton Avenue until roughly three weeks ago.

But the former chef was said to have bought two tickets for a cross-channel ferry on the evening of May 17. He is now believed to have fled overseas with his girlfriend.

Surrey Police said the couple may have taken three dogs - two Jack Russells and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier - with them.

Officers said Mr Wallner, now unemployed, hired a white VW Crafter van, with the registration number RV58 YDX, from a rental company in Surrey, on May 15. The vehicle, carrying two people, was spotted by cameras on the M25 in Kent and close to the docks at Dover two days later.

Mr Wallner, who was born in Germany, is described by police as a heavy-built white man, with broad shoulders, roughly six feet in height, with slightly-receding brown cropped hair and brown eyes.

Miss Fenech is said to be a slim white woman with a Mediterranean complexion, with dark hair and dark eyes. She is described as being between 5ft 5" and 5ft 7" and could be wearing glasses.

The pair, both of whom have European connections, are thought to have "places to go" on the continent.