A PLYMOUTH man has been charged with the murder of teenager Alicia Eborne, whose body was found in woods a mile from Buckland Monachorum on Sunday.

The quiet community was in shock over the discovery of the 18-year-old?s body in Denham Woods, which came nine days after she went missing from her home in Corntown near Ivybridge, 15 miles away.

Bus driver Lee Holbrook, 39, appeared before Torbay Magistrates on Monday accused of murdering Alicia at Shaugh Prior near Bickleigh between November 7 and 16.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Exeter Crown Court next Tuesday.

Alicia was last seen by her mother on November 7 when she left home to catch the number 59 bus to Plymouth College of Further Education where she studied health and social care.

Mr Holbrook, who is married with two children, was first arrested on suspicion of abduction a week ago and re-arrested two days later on suspicion of murder.

Eighty police officers, a force helicopter and sniffer dogs were involved in the search for the teenager, whose body was discovered in a remote area off Green Lane, Buckland Monachorum, which is a back road used as an alternative to the main Bere Alston to Plymouth road, used by commuters.

Members of the Dartmoor Rescue Group and the Devon Cave Rescue Organisation assisted the police to recover the body, which was hidden in undergrowth at the bottom of a slope, next to a public footpath, half a kilometre from Denham Bridge.

As news of the discover of the body filtered through on Sunday, local residents reacted with shock and devastation.

Landlady of the local pub the Drake Manor Inn Mandy Robinson said everybody was deeply shocked.

?There is a sense of disbelief in the community and obviously people are very upset that it has happened so close. We feel very much for the family involved,? she said.

Prayers were said for the family in the parish church of St Andrew?s in Buckland Monachorum this week.

Tony Waites, who has lived on Denham Bridge Road for 25 years said a road block had been set up on Sunday cutting off the whole area leading to Denham Bridge.

?We kept well away - it is very sad,? he said. ?The police were clearly on top of the situation.

?This is a very beautiful and very isolated area ? there are very few houses and it has shocked everyone.

?This has tainted the area and Denham Woods will be remembered for the wrong reason. It is a terrible thing to happen and our thoughts are with the parents and their tragic loss.?

Local resident Dave Pike said village residents were too upset to speak about the incident: ?People in the village are devastated,? he said.

Police this week confirmed that a post-mortem examination carried out on Sunday revealed Alicia died from being strangled.