RESIDENTS are being encouraged to attend a DNA screening tomorrow to help with Sussex Police’s biggest murder investigation in more than a decade.

Sussex Police investigating the murder of Valerie Graves are reminding men with connections to Bosham that a DNA screening facility will be open in the village from 10am to 8pm tomorrow as well as on the following four weekdays.

The mother-of-two was bludgeoned to death in a Bosham home she was house-sitting on December 30 2013.

More than 500 men have already come forward since the screening began on Wednesday and detectives hope others will choose Sunday as a convenient day to come.

The screening is taking place at the Millstream Hotel in Bosham Lane, Bosham, and there is also an opportunity to meet the police at their major incident vehicle in Delling Lane, Bosham, at the back of the Co-op.

Anyone attending is asked to bring along photo identification, a passport or the photo driving licence.

An officer will take a photo of any participant before taking their thumbprint and a mouth swab in a matter of around 10 minutes.

Police have issued guarantees that they will only use the samples obtained to check against this particular crime and their DNA profile will not appear on any database.

A Sussex Police spokesman said, "We are very pleased with the response so far to our appeal for all men aged over 17 who live or work in Bosham, or who visit the area, to volunteer their DNA and provide a thumbprint and we hope many more will come in for just a few minutes to help us in what is the biggest voluntary mass DNA screening in our history."

The DNA screening sessions started on Wednesday and will run until next Thursday before resuming again on Monday February 2 to Saturday 7 February and again from Tuesday February 10 to Sunday February 15 all between 10am and 8pm.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 and quote Operation Ensign or to call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.