Two milkmen are demanding an apology for wrongful arrest after being held in connection with a pensioner's murder.

John Gosling and his son Johnny were arrested on suspicion of murdering Jean Barnes, 87, who was found battered to death at her Worthing home in July last year.

They were questioned for 36 hours at separate police stations before being released on bail.

Two weeks ago, David Munley was jailed for life after being found guilty of murdering the recluse and stealing her antiques.

But the two men, whose milk round included Tennyson Road where Miss Barnes lived, said they have still not been told they are in the clear.

They are now calling on police to lift the shadow that has hung over them for month, by officially exonerating them.

Johnny, of Rock Close, Southwick, was asked to give evidence for the prosecution during Munley's month-long trial at Lewes Crown Court. He refused but was summonsed.

Johnny remembered being left a note cancelling the milk, which he believed was from Jean Barnes, saying she was going into hospital. The note had been left by Munley.

Johnny said: "I had not noticed if it was in her handwriting because that is not the sort of thing you pay attention to at 3am.

"But I remembered screwing it up and throwing it into the rubbish box in the milk van.

"I hardly ever need to empty it so it was still there and I handed it over to the police."

John, of Highdown, Southwick, said: "Neither of us had ever met her. She was on Johnny's round but she used to leave a note and a cheque once a fortnight to pay for her milk. That is the only contact we had with her."

At the time of the murder, both worked as milkmen at the Co-op's depot in Worthing. On the day Miss Barnes' body was discovered, Mr Gosling had covered the round for his son who had overslept.

They said police had been told two men who looked like father and son had been seen acting suspiciously in the area in the days before she was found. John Gosling, 49, a former Royal Marine, was arrested in front of colleagues at the dairy and taken to Bognor police station for questioning.

His son Johnny, 26, was arrested at his Southwick home and taken to Crawley police station.

While they were being questioned, murder squad detectives searched their homes.

John said: "I kept turning things over in my mind. I knew I had done nothing wrong but I started to believe I was going to be charged with murder.

"My solicitor kept telling them they had no evidence to justify holding either one of us and insisted it was a case of unlawful arrest.

"After 36 hours they released us on police bail and said we had to make ourselves available for questioning again."

The experience left them so distressed they both quit their jobs.

Mr Gosling's wife Sue, 48, said: "They were bailed several more times before Munley was arrested for the murder. But instead of telling them they were no longer suspects they were sent a letter in December last year, saying they no longer had to answer bail.

"The letter said Sussex Police reserved the right to review the decision if further evidence came to light. That was the last we heard from them."

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: " We are aware of their claim and the matter is in the hands of our insurers. They were arrested and given legal representation.

"As far as we are concerned they were formally stood down and a witness statement was later taken from them."