House blaze boy 'was already dead'

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It had been believed that Charlie-Bob Townsend had perished in the flames at his father's semi-detached home in the village of Long Ashton, North Somerset.

But Avon and Somerset Police announced that the boy met his death at some point prior to the fire starting.

Christopher Townsend, 51, who worked on hospital drama Casualty, had died from hanging in the adjacent building, a pathologist confirmed.

A force spokeswoman said: "A post-mortem has confirmed that Christopher Townsend's death was due to hanging. His son, Charlie-Bob Townsend, had died before the fire started.

"The cause of his death has not been established. Results of further tests are awaited and may take several weeks."

It was not possible to confirm whether a third party had been involved in the boy's death, she said.

Locals in the affluent village near Bristol said Mr Townsend had split from his wife, Paula, who lives with another son nearby, within the last year.

Neighbours claimed that he had recently been involved in a custody battle with his ex-wife over their children.

The BBC confirmed that Mr Townsend had been a freelance set designer for several years.