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A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 70-year-old woman was found dead at an address in the village of Newton Poppleford near .

Police were called to a property on Lark Rise in the town at around 1.15pm on Friday, January 17, and officers and paramedics found the woman .

A 67-year-old man from Newton Poppleford has been arrested on suspicion of and released on bail pending further enquiries.

"It is believed that the deceased and the suspect are known to each other, we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident and there is no ongoing threat to the public," Detective Inspector Guy Biggard of the Major Crime Investigation Team said.

He added: "We are appealing for anyone with any information that could help us with our enquiries, to please come forward."

Police enquiries to find the woman's next of kin are ongoing and a cordon temporarily erected at the address has been removed.

"If you witnessed the incident or have any information or dashcam footage that could help with enquiries, please contact police via our website here or by calling 101 quoting reference number 50250013357," a spokesperson for the the force said.

Detective Inspector Paula Trevett of Devon and Cornwall Police has described the incident as "a very sad case".

"Officers are carrying out enquiries into this very sad case to establish what happened," she told East Devon News. "Members of the public will see an increased police presence in the area, and we would encourage anyone, if they have any concerns to contact officers from the local neighbourhood policing team."

Newton Poppleford, a large village between Exter and Sidmouth, dates back to the Anglo Saxon period and is packed with thatched cottages between 300 and 400-years-old.

The hamlet, which had a population of around 1,784 in 2019, will likely have been rocked by the murder case - with an average crime rate 53% lower than the rest of the UK.