A CAR pulled from the seabed belonged to missing Bridport woman Victoria Mann, police said.

Her blue Ford Ka - containing human remains - was spotted by recreational divers seven metres under the water's surface near to Hive Beach at Burton Bradstock.

It was lodged in the seabed around 100 yards from the shoreline and was covered in debris - with only the roof of the vehicle visible.

Investigators matched the unique Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of the car with the VIN number registered in Victoria's name. Human remains found inside the car were taken to the mortuary at Dorset County Hospital for analysis yesterday.

Dorset Police are in close contact with Victoria's family during the wait to formally identify the remains.

Victoria, 26, went missing on October 27, 2007 following a night out at a pub in Bradpole.

A large-scale search was carried out after debris and a damaged bollard were spotted at the top of a cliff at Burton Bradstock the following day.

Divers and specialist equipment were used to scour the seabed, but nothing was found.

A number plate from Victoria's car washed up near West Bexington on November 8 2007.

The search operation was then called off because the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it was unlikely a body would be found that long after a disappearance.

The divers who spotted the vehicle reported it to police on September 1.

Bridport section commander Inspector Alan Jenkins said the 20 man recovery team waited until yesterday for ideal weather conditions before removing the car.

A barge with a crane attached was used to extract the vehicle during the two and a half hour operation.

Insp Jenkins said the car wasn't spotted in the initial search operation because of the strong currents in the Lyme Bay area.

"The bay is a big area with poor visibility and a constantly shifting seabed. Things get covered up and become uncovered again.

"The area had been searched and you can easily go over something as large as a car because debris would collect on the top of it.

"Then, three weeks later it could move off and become uncovered," he said.

Insp Jenkins said police weren't looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation.

He added: "The thoughts of everyone at Dorset Police are with Victoria's family and friends.

"We are continuing to support them and keep them informed of the progress of the investigation."