POLICE first issued the news of the double tragedy in Kesgrave ten hours after they were first contacted with concern for a missing woman.

Officers were contacted at 8.40pm by a member of concern concerned for a woman in her 30s. Between 9.30pm and 10pm they were at the scene in Walker Chase, speaking with neighbours and carrying out inquiries.

The bodies had been found by 10.33pm, when paramedics were asked to attend the scene.

However, news of the tragedy was not revealed to the press until 6.46am this morning – ten hours after they were first called.

Nigel Pickover, editor of The Evening Star, said: “Yet again we are having to ask searching questions of Suffolk Constabulary on the timely release of information to the public.

“In this case there was a scene of double tragedy with a large police team at the scene and a very frightening set of events for the public to take in.

“The police should have said at the very least that they were looking for nobody else in connection with the incident.

“The people in the Kesgrave area could have felt more secure as they locked their doors at night.

“At no stage would we have revealed their identities until police released it to us.”

Richard Jones, a spokesman for Suffolk police, said the information was not released to the press due to the next of kin not being informed.