Detectives investigating the 25-year-old murder of a teenager believe her killer may have been from Leicestershire.

The naked body of Colette Aram was found near her home in Keyworth, Nottingham-shire, five miles from the county border, after she was abducted on October 30, 1983.

The trainee hairdresser had been raped, strangled and dumped in a field 25 years ago this week.

The case remains unsolved but police say they now have a real chance of catching her killer due to a "massive leap forward" by University of Leicester experts, who have formed a DNA profile of the 16-year-old's murderer.

They also say that evidence from the original inquiry, given more relevance by the forensic breakthrough, raises the possibility the killer was from Leicestershire, and specifically Loughborough.

Detective Superintendent Kevin Flint, who is leading the investigation, said the town had featured several times in the protracted inquiry.

Police now know that Colette's killer went to the Generous Briton pub, in Costock, five miles south of the murder scene and six miles north of Loughborough, less than an hour after she was last seen.

He had what appeared to be blood on one hand.

Det Supt Flint said the landlady remembered having a conversation with the suspect in which he appeared to display local knowledge of Loughborough.

He said: "It is entirely possible that the offender comes from Loughborough. We cannot rule that out.

"It is a major residential area and the A60 north leads to Nottingham via Costock. Keyworth is just five miles further on."

He said drivers travelling from Keyworth to Loughborough could take the A60 south, going through Bunny or through Wysall, and the suspect's red Fiesta was seen on both those routes on the day Colette was killed.

He added that both routes went via Costock.

Det Supt Flint said: "I would ask the people of Loughborough to consider if they know anyone who could be responsible for this terrible crime. The offender would now be in his late 40s to late 50s.

"He was described at the time as white, between 5ft 7in and 5ft 10in tall, of medium build, with dark, wavy hair and a wide nose.

"His hair and his weight could have changed, but if someone fits the general description and gives you cause for concern for any reason, I would urge you to call the incident room.

"He has evaded justice for 25 years. It is time he was caught."

The DNA profile was searched against the national database and no matches were found. But detectives have now been able to eliminate more than 1,500 people who were involved in the investigation.

Police say they believe the killer struck more than once, and have refused to rule out a link to the murder of Carolyn Allen, in Leicestershire, in 1974.

Miss Allen, 17, went missing from her home in Kinoulton, six miles from Keyworth, in similar circumstances. Her body was found nearly two years later in woods in Old Dalby, near Melton.

The Aram case was the first to feature on Crimewatch, and will feature again later this month.

A £10,000 reward is available for information that leads to a conviction. Call Nottinghamshire police on 0115 844 6992.