The family of a 17-year-old Bath girl murdered 25 years ago have said they will never give up hope that her killer will one day be brought to justice.

Teenager Melanie Road was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death in the early hours of June 9 1984 in a frenzied attack that shocked the city.

The A-level student had refused the offer of a taxi after a night out at the old Beau Nash nightclub in Kingston Road with friends, and had chosen to walk the 20-minute journey back to Lansdown.

Her body was discovered at St Stephen’s Court - just yards from her home - at 5.30am by a milkman and his 10-year-old son.

The police have DNA evidence from the scene of the crime and a cold case team is now hoping the 25th anniversary of the death will jog memories or consciences.

Her brother Adrian, 47, has spoken of the loss the family have felt since her death and has urged anyone who knows anything to contact the police.

He said: “It has been a constant pain in my heart to not know who did it and why they did it and why we can’t catch them.

“It is a personal pain that I am going through, that is what I have been going through for 25 years.

“You can never bring her back, but the person really does have to be caught. It would definitely help me because we have got over the pain of her death, but have not got over the pain of knowing someone is still out there.”

Melanie, a pupil at the Bath High School, now the Royal High School, lived with her parents Anthony and Jean in St Stephen’s Close and had an elder sister Karen, who is now 51.

Mr Road was a 22-year-old student in Glasgow when Melanie was killed and he said he still thought about her all the time.

He said: “We constantly think about what Melanie would be doing now. We constantly think of what we could’ve done to change things.

“We still feel that we have been cheated, all of us do. We can’t understand how someone can take someone’s life like that so easily.”

Advances in technology over the past 25 years have meant Melanie’s family have been given renewed hope of finding a DNA match.

Mr Road, who moved away to Canada 12 years ago but has recently returned to the Bath area, said: “We have never given up hope.

“Every time we see a news article, or read something or see something on the news we instantly think is that the same person that killed Melanie?”

He added: “We want to help to find the person. To nudge a few memories out there.

“If anybody has any information, no matter how small, we would ask them to contact the police.”

At the time of the murder, detectives made more than 90 arrests in connection with the crime, but no one has ever been charged.

Detective Chief Inspector Mike Carter is heading Avon and Somerset Police’s Major Crime Review Team, which is responsible for investigating the force area’s 27 unsolved murders.

He said: “This investigation is different to the majority of the other undetected murders recorded by the force in the last 60 years, as it actually has a DNA profile. I believe this belongs to the offender in this case.”

Unfortunately the profile does not match anybody on the national database.

DCI Carter who has a team of eight officers said it was not too late for justice to be done.

He said: “We are looking to uncover any evidence that may have been overlooked at the time, and any new information that has come to light since the death of Melanie 25 years ago.

“We would welcome any new information from the public. If anyone had concerns about the behaviour of individuals at the time, but were unsure whether to provide the information for any reason, I urge them to come forward.

“The lapse in time is not an issue as persons can be easily eliminated due to the evidence now available to the investigation.”

The investigation has been subject to three reviews in the past, but the police have promised that all unsolved murders are looked at on a regular basis.

If anyone has any information about Melanie Road’s death then they should contact the police on 0845 4567000 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.