A husband is being hunted by police after the decomposing body of a woman was found in a wheelie bin in a quiet suburban street.

Peter Wallner, 33, has not been seen since the badly decomposed body of a white women in her thirties was found hidden among rubbish in Cobham, Surrey, on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Wallner, from Germany, had been living in the semi-detached house with his wife Melanie but she has not been seen for about a year. Neighbours said that another woman with a baby had moved into the threebedroom property after Mrs Wallner left. Mr Wallner moved out of the address three weeks ago and it is not known where he is, say detectives.

He is described as white and heavily built with broad shoulders, about 6ft tall with slightly receding, brown, cropped hair and brown eyes.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: “Scenes of crime officers carefully emptied the bin to preserve forensic opportunities, recovering the body of a white woman, believed to be in her thirties, which had been surrounded by rubbish.” A description of Mr Wallner has been circulated to forces across Britain and the Continent.

Police were called to the semidetached house occupied by Mr Wallner when a human foot was spotted protruding from the green wheelie bin.

A neighbour said that Mr Wallner and his wife appeared to have split up and she moved out more than a year ago.

The 42-year-old woman, who asked not to be named, said: “He would often sit outside in his shorts. For a while there was another woman living there who would breast-feed a baby on the steps.” The neighbour also saw the wheelie bin on its side on the driveway shortly before police were called. “The binmen come on Fridays around here but it wouldn’t have been collected because they won’t come down the path — you have to put it out on the pavement. It could have been there for three weeks.”

The police spokesman said: “Detectives are focusing their inquiries on locating a previous resident of the address where the body was found, who may be able to provide useful information for the investigation.”

A post-mortem examination, car- ried out at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, found that the woman had suffered a serious head injury but no clear conclusion could be made about the cause of death. She had been dead for at least three weeks. The body was intact but badly decomposed.

Mr Wallner was a chef but had been unemployed for some time. He married in 2001 but separated soon after and had since had several girlfriends.

Police were interviewing Mr Wallner’s friends and former work colleagues last night. They believe there is a strong possibility that he has already left the country and may have more than one passport.

Mr Wallner had been head chef at the Oak Room restaurant of the Woodlands Park Hotel in Cobham but left more than six months ago. A hotel spokesman said: “This is a matter for the police.”

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