Mystery surrounds the death of a pensioner whose body was found in the charred remains of her caravan.

The cause of the horrific blaze which claimed the life of much-loved Hockley pensioner Peggy Duarte may never be known, detectives said.

The intensity of the inferno which swept through her caravan was so severe it destroyed everything in its path.

But detectives said the fire was almost certainly a "tragic accident" and there were no signs the spinster, who lived on her own, had been attacked.

The 78-year-old's body was found in the remains of her caravan at the Dome park, Lower Road, Hockley, on Monday after the fire ravaged her home.

Neighbours fought a desperate battle to save her but were beaten back by the flames.

A post-mortem revealed she had died of smoke inhalation and detectives said a murder investigation was unlikely.

Two people seen running away from the caravan were identified as neighbours.

Det Supt Steve Reynolds of Essex CID said: "We think it was probably a tragic accident. There is nothing to suggest it was suspicious in any way.

"There were no injuries to her, there was no strangulation and she had no enemies.

"We will be submitting our report to the coroner and it will be a matter of what verdict he comes up with."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.