A son returned home to find his elderly mother trapped in a fire in their home.

Winifred Gunton died after she could not escape from the blaze at her home in Ifield Road, Crawley.

Paramedics spent several minutes trying to resuscitate 91-year-old Ms Gunton after the fire broke out in the lounge of the home she shared with her son on Monday.

Her son returned to see the drama unfold but emergency services could not save his mother's life.

Fire investigators were last night investigating whether the fire had been started by a cigarette.

Neighbours at Deerswood Court laid flowers outside the charred flat.