The wife of a prominent businessman has been found dead in a car.

Nicole Falkingham, whose husband Jonathan Falkingham is the chief executive of property developer Urban Splash, was found on Friday, police confirmed.

The car was parked in a residential road at Eastwood, in Otterspool, Liverpool, when police were called shortly after 10am. The 41-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

Merseyside Police said her death is being treated as "unexplained" and have withheld the results of a post-mortem examination as they await the outcome of toxicology tests.

Two people were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and cannabis cultivation after officers involved in the inquiry entered a house at Eastwood and found a cannabis farm. They have since been bailed pending further inquiries.

Urban Splash, which is based in Manchester, is a leading property developer, having created landmark residential and business properties across the UK.

It was chosen by Irvine Bay Urban Regeneration Company to build a £60m mixed-use scheme at Irvine harbourside in Ayrshire.

It is known for transforming derelict buildings and bringing them back into use, including the famous Art Deco Midland Hotel in Morecambe, Lancs, and Birmingham's Fort Dunlop.

Bradford-born Mr Falkingham, an architect, was a co-founder of the company.

A spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said: "Merseyside Police is investigating the unexplained death of a woman following the discovery of a body in a car on Friday, 25 January.

"Officers were called to Eastwood, in Otterspool, just after 10am and Nicole Falkingham, 41, from Allerton was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.

"A Home Office post mortem has been carried out to establish the cause of death and the results are being held pending toxicology reports.

"When officers arrived at the address, they also discovered a cannabis factory with more than 100 plants.

"A 48-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman from Aigburth have been arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis and manslaughter and have been released pending further inquiries."

Urban Splash is currently working to regenerate the 12 acre site at Irvine Harbour. The £60 million mixed use development will include 360 new homes as well as cafes, restaurants, shops, offices and a hotel.

The scheme is the first Urban Splash project in Scotland. In 2011, it dropped plans to get involved in a project to redevelop St Peter’s Seminary at Cardross near Glasgow.