Officers were contacted on Sunday by friends of the woman who were worried about her safety.

Police forced entry to her address in Stanhope Place, near Hyde Park, in Bayswater, at around 8.30am on Monday and found her dead.

No arrests have been made at this time.

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Clifton, from the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command, said: "I understand this news will be concerning, and that local women especially may be worried.

"Our enquiries are in the very early stages and we are keeping an open mind as to the motive, however I can assure people that my team are working 24/7 to establish what happened to the woman, and to identify and arrest whoever may be responsible for this attack."

A post-mortem will be held and police are trying to find her next of kin.

Chief Superintendent Louise Puddefoot added: "Our thoughts are with the woman and her family.

"My officers will do everything we can to support the investigation and they will be stationed in the area to speak to anyone who has any information or concerns they want to share with us."