Bristol police continue to question woman over deaths of three children

By Bea Swallow

BBC News, Bristol

Police are expected to give an update later following the deaths of three children at a house in Bristol.

Officers discovered the children after responding to a welfare call in Blaise Walk, Sea Mills, at about 00:40 GMT on Sunday.

The young children were pronounced dead at the scene. A 42-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Ch Insp Vicks Hayward-Melen, from Avon and Somerset Police, is due to deliver a statement at 09:30 GMT.

Speaking on Sunday, Ch Insp Hayward-Melen said this was an “incredibly tragic and heart-breaking incident”.

Police said it is an isolated incident and there is no further risk to the wider community.

The woman who has been arrested is in police custody at hospital.

A police cordon has closed off the quiet residential street on Blaise Walk, with two rows of police tape and a police car blocking the entrance to the road.

Officers are guarding the semi-detached house, which has a white forensic tent and blue privacy screens up in the back garden.

Just in-front of the screens there’s a child’s red ride-on car.

Uniformed officers are making house-to-house inquiries in nearby properties and residents can expect to see an increase police presence over the coming days.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been notified due to “prior police contact” earlier this month.

An IOPC spokesman said: “We have requested a paper referral with further information about the prior contact and once received, we will assess it to determine whether further action is required from us.”

A local play group in the area, Sea Mills Community Playgroup, announced it will be closed on Monday, “due to the tragic events”.

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