Police officers have dug up parts of a Surrey village as they search for the body of a woman murdered 18 years ago.

Surrey Police, the army and specialist forensic teams are digging an area of land in Priest Lane in Bisley, west of Woking, this week as part of Operation Sally, the murder investigation of Tina Baker, 41, in 2002.

She was initially reported missing after last being seen in Sunbury, in Surrey – around 14 miles east of Bisley – in July 2002 but the investigation became a murder enquiry in October that year.

In 2005, her husband, Martin Gerald Baker, was arrested and charged with her murder, and was sentenced to 14 years in prison when he appeared at the Old Bailey in London in 2006, Surrey Police said.

Her body was never recovered, but police said information received has resulted in the decision to carry out forensic investigations in Bisley.

Detective Inspector Chris Rambour, from the Surrey and Sussex major crime team, said: “The investigative work around Tina Baker’s death has continued since 2006 and we have received information which has resulted in our decision to carry out further investigation at this location in Bisley.

“We will be doing this in conjunction with our local partners, including Surrey Heath Borough Council, and with assistance from the British Army.

“We wanted to make local residents aware of the reasons for the increased police presence in the area and apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused.

“However, it is extremely important to us that we do everything we can to provide answers and closure for Tina’s family and friends, and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.”