A mother and her two young children have been found dead in a village near Bolton.

Police have launched an investigation after they were found in a house in Little Lever on Monday afternoon. Officers had visited the address after concerns were raised for the welfare of the woman.

The victims were named locally as Tiffany Stevens, 27, and her daughters, Caisie, three, and Darcie, one. Police would not confirm names.

Greater Manchester police said the bodies were found shortly before 3.50pm. A gas engineer was at the property on Tuesday morning and the area surrounding the house remained cordoned off, with a police car parked outside.

A neighbour, Annmarie Crossland, 36, said she heard Stevens’ brother and her former partner “screaming and shouting” in the alley behind the house before another neighbour rang 999 around 3.30pm.

“Paramedics arrived first and shot off down the back, then another came and then just all police covered the whole street,” she said.

Crossland described Stevens as a “brilliant mum”, adding: “They were gorgeous little kids. Great, really nice. She would take them to the park and into Bolton. They were very friendly.”

Margaret Knox, 62, a friend of the family who has known Tiffany since she was a baby, said she was devastated to hear about the deaths.

She said: “I have treated Tiffany like my own daughter throughout her life and for this to happen has shaken us. We loved them very much and we’re all hurt. I have not slept since I found out what had happened.

“We had Christmas with Tiffany and the girls. There’s no way we could’ve seen this coming. No one knows what has happened but we are waiting to hear more from the police.”

She added: “Her mother is my best friend and she’s coming from Manchester so hopefully we will know more by the time she arrives.”

Supt Rick Jackson, of GMP’s Bolton borough, said: “This is an incredibly tragic incident and we have specialist officers supporting the family at this unimaginably difficult time.

“We are keeping an open mind as to what happened to the woman and her children and the investigation is likely to take some time, however, based on what we know so far, we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident.”

He urged anyone with information to contact the police.

Sean Hornby, the councillor for Little Lever and Darcy Lever, told the Bolton News the incident was “devastating”.

“I have spoken to residents in the area, they are obviously shocked and very upset. I am saddened by the news, my thoughts are with close relatives of the family.”