Mother and two children killed in Boxing Day blaze

Emergency services were called to the "well-established" fire on Brimscombe Hill in Stroud, Gloucestershire, at about 03:00 GMT on Friday.

A seven-year-old girl, a four-year-old boy and their mother, aged in her 40s, were trapped inside the burning property. The body of the mother and a child were recovered on Sunday but formal identification is yet to take place.

The father was able to escape and was taken to hospital. Gloucestershire Constabulary confirmed on Monday he is a serving police officer with the force.

Police said they are still working to recover the body of the second child but the unstable condition of the property requires teams to proceed with caution.

They added that the fire began on the ground floor of the property and that there were not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the cause.

Det Supt Ian Fletcher described it as a "tragic incident".