Three teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of an 88-year-old woman who died in a house fire in Harold Wood.

Josephine Smith, 88, was pronounced dead at an address in Queens Park Road on the evening of Thursday, October 28.

A man in his late teens, a girl in her late teens and a boy in his mid teens were arrested on suspicion of murder on October 30.

The trio have been bailed until late November.

A post-mortem examination gave the cause of Josephine's death as smoke inhalation.

Her family has paid tribute to her, saying she was a "fantastic, loving mum and gran".

Det Ch Insp Linda Bradley said: “This is a very sad case and we are supporting Mrs Smith’s family and keeping them fully updated on the current status on our inquiry.

"We currently await the outcome of forensic enquiries and other lines of investigation, but if anyone has any information then I would ask them to contact police immediately.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room on 020 9358 1010, phone 101 or tweet @MetCC, quoting CAD 8170/28OCT.

To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org