
Officers smashed their way into the home of a mother-of-two who was found stabbed to death, while the bodies of her husband and children were discovered 90 miles away.

Six police cars raced to the £625,000 three-bedroom home in Twickenham, South West London, just after 6pm yesterday and found the 47-year-old woman covered in blood after she suffered stab wounds.

Detectives tried to trace her husband, 57, and two sons, aged seven and ten, and were contacted by Sussex Police after the bodies of a man and two children were found at Birling Gap near Eastbourne an hour earlier at 4.55pm.

A family car was recovered near the 300ft cliff edge in East Sussex and forensic officers from Scotland Yard were at their home address trying to piece together the sequence of events this afternoon.

The London home - which neighbours believe was rented - remained sealed off with police tape and had a big police presence outside today. Officers in forensic uniforms were seen inspecting the front garden and bins.

Six police cars raced to the £625,000 home in Twickenham, South West London, just after 6pm yesterday (above: forensic officers search bins outside the property for clues)

A police officer can be seen standing outside the house where a search for evidence is underway after the killing

Neighbour Alycia Mead, 25, said: 'It was about 6pm and I saw lots of flashing lights and two fire engines parked on the road.

'Then about six police cars, some unmarked, came and the officers were smashing their way through the front door.

'They were struggling but managed to smash through some of the windows and climbed in through the door and then I heard them say 'she is on her own'.

'They were picking their way through the garden and the shed and when I saw forensics last night I thought it must have been murder.

'I haven't really seen them, I saw Christmas lights go up but that is about it, they were a very quiet family.'

The London home - which neighbours believe was rented - remains sealed off (above: an officer stands outside the home)

A police presence remains outside the three-bedroom property where forensic officers are scouring the area for vital evidence

A bus driver, who refused to be named, said he saw the family coming out the driveway occasionally.

He said: 'It is a shock, they were very nice people, pleasant.

'I saw them quite a few times and you could just tell they were very nice.'

Paul Warrington, 54, heard nothing from the family on on Monday evening and only heard about the killing when police knocked on his door.

The graphic designer and dad-of-two said he last saw them around ten days ago and regularly heard the children screaming and shouting as they played in the garden.

He said: 'They were a pleasant and quiet family. I often heard the kids playing in the garden, screaming and shouting.

'There was nothing untoward that would suggest anything like this would happen.

'They had lived there for about a year, they were very normal, you never imagined something like this would happen.'

A former owner of the home confirmed the house was sold in 2014 and is believed to have been rented out to the family, who are said to be Polish.

Forensic officers were desperately looking for clues when they arrived at the home today in Twickenham, South West London

Forensic officers in Twickenham where a murder investigation has been launched after the woman was found dead

Sussex Police have recovered the bodies of the woman's husband and their two children from Birling Gap (pictured today)

A police officer takes a photograph at Birling Gap near Eastbourne in East Sussex today after the investigation was launched

Detectives have today launched a murder investigation after a woman was found dead at her home in Twickenham (pictured)

Neighbours said they knew very little about the residents and believed they were new to the area. Alicia Mede, 25, a mother of two who lives two doors down, said: 'I'm totally shocked that something like this could happen practically next door.

'It was about 6pm and I saw lots of flashing lights and two fire engines parked on the road.

'Then about six police cars, some unmarked, came and the officers were smashing their way through the front door. They were struggling but managed to smash through some of the windows and climbed in through the door and then I heard them say 'she is on her own'.

'They were picking their way through the garden and the shed. When I saw forensics last night I thought it must have been murder. I haven't really seen them - I saw Christmas lights go up but that is about it. They were a very quiet family.'

Another neighbour, who identified himself only as Kevin, said he had been horrified by events.

He said: 'I heard sirens outside but there's s fire and ambulance station opposite so I thought nothing if it.

'But when I found out what had happened I was horrified.'

A bus driver said he saw the family coming out the driveway occasionally. He added: 'It is a shock, they were very nice people, pleasant. I saw them quite a few times and you could just tell they were very nice.'

No arrests have been made and officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation. A vehicle was recovered near the seafront scene and a crime scene remains in place at the Twickenham address.

Sussex Police added the bodies had not been found in the vehicle and had been discovered by a member of the public. Post-mortem examinations have yet to take place and next of kin have been informed.

A police scene of crime officer spent the afternoon at Birling Gap taking photographs of the spot, where hundreds of sightseers were admiring the scenery at the iconic white cliffs unaware of what had happened.

The remote area of coastline features only a cafe, where the manageress said: 'It is just heartbreaking. At 5pm on Monday the police and coastguards arrived and said there had been a major incident along the cliffs.

Forensic officers were carrying out a detailed search of the property after a murder investigation was launched by detectives

Officers had discovered that the woman had stab wounds and have sealed off their property in South West London

Met Police officers were photographed at the scene in Twickenham today, one day after the woman's body was found

Sussex Police officers found the bodies of a man and two children at the foot of cliffs at Birling Gap (pictured today)

Sussex Police said the bodies had not been found in the vehicle and had been discovered by a member of the public

Sussex Police said the deaths are being treated as suspicious and an investigation is underway. Birling Gap is pictured today

'We then heard about the three bodies on the beach. We all feel terribly sad - this is beautiful place but with Beachy Head so close we do hear some awful news at times. Our hearts go out to this poor family.'

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'A murder investigation has been launched after a woman was found dead at her home address in Twickenham, and her husband and two children died in East Sussex.

'Police were called at approximately 5.55pm on Monday to TW2 following concerns raised about the welfare of the occupants. Officers attended along with London Ambulance Service.

'A woman aged 47 was found dead at the scene with stab injuries. Detectives quickly sought to establish the welfare of her husband, aged 57, and two children aged seven and ten, and carried out a number of urgent enquires.

'Just before 5pm, the bodies of a man and two young boys were discovered at Birling Gap seafront, East Sussex. Sussex Police later contacted the Met. Whilst formal identification awaits, police believe that they are the deceased woman's immediate family.

'A vehicle was recovered nearby by Sussex Police. A crime scene remains in place at the Twickenham address. Officers from the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command are leading the investigation, supported by colleagues in Sussex Police.

Officers closed off the property in Twickenham today as they continued to investigate the deaths of the four family members

Officers arrived at the £625,000 detached house in London after the murder investigation was launched by the Met Police

Metropolitan Police detectives are leading the investigation while officers from Sussex Police will assist them

Forensic officers were photographed examining recycling bins at the detached property in Twickenham this afternoon

Forensic officers were photographed leaving a house in Twickenham where the murder investigation has been launched

'Post-mortem examinations for all four individuals will take place in due course. Formal identification awaits. Next of kin have been informed. No arrests have been made. Enquiries continue.

'At this early stage, police are not looking for anyone else in connection with this investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Metropolitan Police on 0208 721 4005, or locally to Sussex Police on 101 quoting Operation Glasson. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.'

A Sussex Police spokesman said: 'At 4.55pm on Monday a member of the public (not the police) found three bodies on the beach at the foot of cliffs at Birling Gap, East Dean.

'Emergency services attended and although formal identification has not yet taken place it is believed that the bodies are those of a 57-year-old man and two boys, aged seven and 10.

'They are believed to be a father and his two sons from an address in Twickenham, west London, where the body of a woman was found on Monday afternoon.

'The deaths are being treated as suspicious and an investigation is under way, led by the Metropolitan Police with support from Sussex Police.'