RELATIVES of murdered widow Joan Albert today welcomed news a 24-year-old Ipswich man is being quizzed by police.Officers arrested the man at his Ipswich home early this morning - on day 221 of Operation Magdala.

RELATIVES of murdered widow Joan Albert today welcomed news a 24-year-old Ipswich man is being quizzed by police.

Officers arrested the man at his Ipswich home early this morning - on day 221 of Operation Magdala.

Her sister Kathleen Cousins, who was told of the arrest by Detective Superintendent Roy Lambert before it was made, said: "We are pleased. It has been an awful time for the family. But, of course there is still a long way to go. It will help us try to come to terms with it but we will never get over it."

Joan Albert's brother, Ken Tuckwell, said bluntly: "It's good news, but it won't bring her back."

Ken Twose, one of the neighbours who found Mrs Albert's body in the hallway of her Boydlands home, expressed surprise – and relief – the arrested man wasn't from the village.

He said: "We thought they might have arrested be someone from Capel."

Mrs Albert, with her beloved terrier Rusty, was a familiar face in Capel, known for her immaculate appearance.

The security-conscious widow lived alone had in the months leading up to her death installed a motion sensor on the front of her home and a phone by her bed after being pestered by teenage tearaways.

She was the second eldest of seven children to Elias and Agnes Tuckwell the family became well known in Suffolk when her father began farming at Pettaugh near Ipswich.

Around Capel there was a feeling of relief as news of the early morning arrest filtered through the village.

Many Capel residents were surprised at the arrest after seven months of waiting.

Pauline Percy , manager of Capel Greengrocers, in The Street, summed up the feelings of most when she said: "It will make a lot of the older people feel safer.

"There's been an eerie feeling over the village ever since it happened, but I think this will make people feel a lot better."

Mrs Percy's concern for the elderly was echoed by Patricia White, wife of parish council chairman Gerald.

Mrs White, of Smithers Close, said: "What a relief, it's fantastic news, especially for the elderly.

"There's been a feeling of disbelief. The elderly still feel a bit wary, but with this news it will make a difference."

But Paula Lay, owner of Capel News, also in The Street, sounded a note of caution. She said: "If they can make it stick, then all well and good.

"It's still very fresh in people's minds, you don't know if you're serving whoever it is or if you're talking to them.

"I think it will make people feel a lot more secure."