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A woman was found "hanging from a tree" by youngsters who had been out enjoying a funfair taking place next to the Spectrum leisure complex in Guildford.

The horrific discovery was made on Friday night, leading to a stretch of Parkway being closed off to traffic and pedestrians as a police cordon was put up along a grass area next to the road.

Other young people leaving Guildford Spectrum were diverted along a footpath by police, towards their parents who had to wait for them by the traffic lights crossing over to Wild Wood Adventure in Stoke Park.

Layla Hollands, 38, from Wood Street Village, said her 12-year-old son Charlie was walking down Parkway with some friends and their older brothers, who had all gone to the funfair, when he "looked to the right and saw the body".

'A bit shocked'

He called her shortly after 9.30pm, "sounding a bit shocked", saying "there was a body hanging from the tree".

"Charlie shouted at his friends," Mrs Hollands told Get Surrey. "The older boys pulled him away and went and looked. Someone phoned the police."

She added Charlie's older brother was also present at the time but "he didn't see anything".

"He [Charlie] does seem fine," Mrs Hawker added.

"I said 'do you want me to come and get you?', but he said 'no, I want to go to my friend's house'.

"So he's staying at his friend's house, they've said he's fine and alright."

Mrs Hollands, a mother of four, said Charlie was with a group of about 12 friends, the eldest of whom was 19.

Surrey Police said officers were called to the scene at around 9.20pm.

'No suspicious circumstances'

"Ambulance crews were also in attendance but the woman was sadly pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterwards," a police spokeswoman added.

"The area was cordoned off and road closures were put in place while emergency services dealt with the incident.

"An investigation into the death, which is being treated as unexplained, remain ongoings but it is not believed there is any third party involvement or any suspicious circumstances at this time."

The police cordon was lifted at the scene shortly after 10.30pm.