THE husband of a woman whose body was discovered in a French lake today hit out at police on the second anniversary of her disappearance and said: "I've been treated like a criminal."

Evelyn Lund left her remote farmhouse in the village of Raysaac, near Toulouse, two years ago to go to a friend's house although she never arrived.

Despite a massive search operation involving police from France, Spain, Italy and Britain, there was no sight of Mrs Lund and her husband Robert admitted he was the prime suspect over her disappearance.

Then in October her body was found in the back of her red Toyota Landcruiser submerged in a lake some 15 minutes from the home the couple shared.

Police investigators are still trying to determine what killed the 53-year-old, although one of her daughters today said the family in England were being kept well informed about the police inquiries and thought everything would be resolved in the next 12 months.

But Mr Lund, who still lives at the house the couple moved to in 1996 after leaving Winter Hill, Darwen, said his anguish still went on and accused French police of dragging out their investigations.

He said they failed to conduct a thorough search of the area and said he is still being treated like a criminal.

And he slammed the authorities for the lack of information made available to him about his wife.

Mrs Lund's daughter, Patricia Taylor, of Franklin Road, in the Witton area of Blackburn, said she was more than happy with the way the case was being dealt with.

Robert, a former tree surgeon for Blackburn with Darwen Council, and who now works as a mason in France, said: "It seems in France you are treated like a criminal until proven innocent.

"The police are very hostile to me, and I have heard nothing since they found Evelyn.

"They have not even written to me to confirm it was my wife and I have not got her death certificate."

Robert has been questioned by police on several occasions and said he has had his house searched.

He said only last week he got his passport back from the authorities, leaving him no time to organise a trip back to England to see his family for Christmas.

All along he has protested his innocence, and said he has support from his French friends and neighbours and accused the police of failing to act

properly.

He said: "The police never really looked for Evelyn, all they were concerned about was pinning her murder to me. They were supposed to have searched the lake where she was found but if they did, why didn't they find a car?

They are trying to drag it out. I have not been charged or even arrested and I don't know when all this will be over for me. No idea whatsoever.

"Up until they found Evelyn I was certain she would come back home. This thing has been praying on my mind for two years and it will pray on mind for a lot longer.

"I have to work myself into exhaustion just to get it out of my head, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, just to try and block it out."

Patricia Taylor, one of three daughters by Mrs Lund's first marriage, said the family back in England had been kept well informed with developments.

She said: "We are quite happy with the way police have been dealing with everything. We have been kept informed with matters and we could not fault them in any way.

"It has been an awful two years but I think that next year things will be sorted out."