Police have arrested a 16-year-old boy from Alton in connection with a house fire in the town that left two pensioners dead.

Officers are now treating the incident as a possible arson and the boy was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Firefighters and police were called at 4am on April 14 to reports of a house fire at Heron Close in Alton.

A man in his 90s and a woman in her 80s were pronounced dead at the scene. Their next of kin have been informed.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and Hampshire Constabulary are investigating the cause of the fire.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: “We would like to speak to anyone who may have information that could assist with our enquiries.

“Did you witness anyone behaving suspiciously in the area between midnight and 5am?

“Do you have any closed-circuit television, doorbell or dash-cam footage which may show anyone behaving suspiciously in the area around this time?”

Anyone with information should report it through the police public portal at https://mipp.police.uk/, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, or visit its website at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/