Detectives investigating the death of a 60-year-old man in a fatal fire on Christmas Day have today, Monday 28 December, arrested a 27-year-old man [A] and a 32-year-old woman [B] on suspicion of murder.

Both have been taken to an east London police station for questioning.

Police were called at around 04:50hrs on Friday, 25 December, to reports of a fire at a house in Field Road, E7.

Officers attended and the London Fire Brigade (LFB) discovered the body of a 60-year-old inside the address. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination held at East Ham Mortuary on 28 December gave the preliminary cause of death as burns and inhalation of fire fumes.

Whilst officers believe they know the identity of the deceased, they await formal identification and confirmation that all next of kin have been informed.

A murder investigation has been launched under Detective Chief Inspector Steve McCabe of the Homicide and Major Crime Command.

Enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances, however, at this stage detectives believe the fire was started deliberately.

DCI McCabe said: “We need to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious in Field Road and the surrounding area in the early hours of Christmas Day.”

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at the incident room on 020 8345 1570. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org.