An 18-year-old girl was found hanged from a tree by a main road in Wolverhampton today.

The teenager, who lives in Dudley but has connections in the city, was discovered on land at the side of Lichfield Road in Wednesfield at its junction with Moathouse Lane East by a member of the public.

The discovery was made in a copse on an area known locally as Ellards Land around 5.30am by a man leaving flats opposite the scene.

Traffic was diverted as police sealed off a 200-yard stretch of Lichfield Road between Hyde Road and Moathouse Lane East. A white tent was erected at the scene along with a blue sheet.

Residents today spoke of their horror as news of the tragedy spread. 

Kerry Morton, aged 27, a mother-of-one who lives nearby, said: “It’s awful that something so tragic should happen in public view.”

An inquest is expected to be opened in the coming days. Police are treating the incident as a tragic death.