Well-wishers have bid a sad farewell to an elderly woman and her son who were found dead after a bungalow fire.

They left bouquets and messages of sympathy outside the charred remains of the home where they burned to death.

Murder squad detectives are investigating whether the man deliberately set his mother's home alight as she slept, killing them both.

Traces of petrol were found in and around the bungalow in Barley Lane, Hastings, where their bodies were found on Monday morning.

A police spokesman said the investigation was continuing and scenes of crime officers were still gathering evidence.

The bodies were so badly burned that they have not yet been formally identified.

The spokesman said: "It may take some time before we can officially name them. We are still carrying out investigations."

The victims are believed to be Dorothy Patten, known as Dora, who was in her 80s, and her son Michael Patten.

Mr Patten's wife Joan runs the nearby ShearBarn Holiday Park and is chairman of the South-East England Tourist Board.