An 89-year-old woman who has been stabbed to death in Croydon was a "lovely lady".

Emergency services were called to a home in Brigstock Road, Thornton Heath, at around 9.20pm on Tuesday.

Paramedics tried to save the pensioner but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

A man aged in his 30s, who knew the victim, was arrested a short while later at another address in Croydon and police said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the killing.

The Metropolitan Police said that the woman’s family has been told, and that a post-mortem examination and formal identification will be arranged in due course.

A police cordon remains in place around Weldon Court, a small number of homes set back from the main road with several officers standing guard.

One woman, who did not want to be named, said the victim would use a nearby bank where she worked and was a “lovely lady”.

A neighbour, who also did not want to be identified, said: “It’s so scary, right on my doorstep.”

Anyone with information can call police on 101 quoting the reference 7790/21jun.