A gunman shot dead two women, believed to be a mother and daughter, at house on Friday night.

The pair, aged 32 and 53, were gunned down by a man known to them, according to police who led a terrified pregnant woman and another woman suffering from shock to safety.

Armed police rushed to the house in St Leonards, East Sussex, at around 7.43pm last night (Fri) to find the mother and daughter with fatal gunshot wounds.

Two hours later a man with a gun was arrested nearby and murder squad detectives are now gathering evidence from the semi-detached home and a nearby railway underpass.

Local resident James Butler was driving towards Hastings when he was stopped by police, who said 'your life is at risk'. He said: "I was driving along to go and see my boyfriend Michael for dinner when I saw a car coming towards me flashing its lights at me.

"I wondered why they were doing it, I thought I didn't have my lights on. "Five seconds later, I saw why. I had to brake pretty hard because I realised that there was an unmarked police car in the road.