Man Held Over Preston Murders

A man is being questioned over the murder of his grandmother and aunt in Preston.

The 21-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene of the killings in Fulwood shortly after the emergency services arrived.

The bodies of Maureen Allen, 79, and her daughter, Geraldine Allen, who was thought to be acting as her mother's carer, were discovered in their semi-detached bungalow which had been set alight.

Police confirmed both victims had sustained ``injuries'', as reports suggested a stabbing had taken place in the house.

The alarm was raised just before 2am on Monday by another relative of the two women who was concerned about a number of phone calls they had received. Police and fire rescue services were confronted by the burning house and found the two bodies inside.

Stephanie McDougall, the daughter of Mrs Allen's next-door neighbour, said she received a ``distressed'' phone call from her mother.

She said: ``She thought the house was on fire and someone had stabbed somebody. I didn't know them myself but they were nice people. It's very upsetting. It's shocking that something like this could happen here.''

Mrs Allen, who was in a wheelchair, had lived in the quiet cul-de-sac, off Longfield, for more than 25 years and it is understood that her daughter and grandson had moved in recently.

Detective Superintendent Neil Esseen, who is leading the investigation, said formal identification had yet to take place and that post-mortem results were expected later on Monday.