Two women found earlier this week in Ipswich, England, were killed in similar ways, police said Thursday as the hunt continued for a possible serial killer.

Five flowers left Thursday outside a temporary police station near where prostitutes work in Ipswich, England.
(Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press)

Paula Clenell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29, are among five women found around the southeastern town.

Clenell, whose naked body was found Tuesday, died of  "compression to the neck," said Det. Chief Supt. Stewart Gull. "Her death is being treated as murder."

Nicholls, was likewise found strangled to death near Ipswich. Both women were prostitutes who had been missing for more than one week.

The bodies of three women have been found near the provincial port since Dec. 2. Police have confirmed one of those women, Anneli Alderton, died of asphyxiation.

The other two victims have been identified as Gemma Adams, 25, and Tania Nicol, 19. All worked as prostitutes in Ipswich.

The deaths have put residents of the town of about 140,000 on the estuary of the River Orwell on high alert.

City authorities and local businesses organized shuttle services to transport women home from work, and the council's monthly newsletter published a safety message advising women not to walk the streets alone.

Seeking driver of BMW

Police are examining a jacket and handbag removed from a local river. All of the bodies were stripped naked and dumped in local streams or wooded areas, said police.

Ipswich, England
(CBC)

They also said they would like to speak to the driver of a blue BMW car that Alderton was seen getting into before her body was discovered.

"We would like to speak to the man, but we're still trying to confirm Anneli's last movements," said Gull.

Officials have suggested they may have a serial killer on their hands, saying the similarities among the deaths are "strikingly obvious."

Police had received more than 6,000 telephone and e-mail tips.

Town satisfied with police actions

Henry Davies, the mayor of Ipswich, said the town is shocked by the killings, but that the community is very satisfied with how police are handling things.

"Police have been on radio and TV constantly," he said.

Davies said businesses in the town, especially nightclubs, are feeling the pinch.

"I must say women are very nervous. The town last night was nearly deserted, and it's festive season," he said.

With files from the Associated Press