Friends and neighbours have spoken about the “tragic loss” of the woman found murdered in her Carshalton Beeches home yesterday.

The woman was discovered by paramedics from London Ambulance Sevice at an address in South Way near to the Royal Marsden Hospital at 2.30pm.

Last night families returning from work to their detached homes on the quiet, leafy, wide and arching street were shocked to learn of the death.

Police cordoned off the £700,000 five bedroom home where the woman’s body was found and conducted door to door inquiries while breaking the news to families.

A tearful family friend said: “It’s a tragic loss. The family were close friends of ours, really good community people. We are all shocked.”

One woman, who did not want to be named, said: "It's very sad. I just came home to see the homes taped off and the police cars standing outside.

"It was just an ordinary day and then something like this, it's quite surreal."

Another man, who did not want to be named, said: "They seemed like a nice family."

One neighbour said: “I was gardening when I came outside and I saw all the police.

“It’s a real shock I never expected anything like this in an area like this.”

The cause of the woman’s death is unknown but police have launched a murder investigation under Detective Chief Inspector Tim Grattan-Cane.

Formal identification and a post mortem examination are expected soon.

A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said: "A member of the public called us to an address at South Way at 2.20pm. We sent an ambulance and a duty manager.

"When we arrived at the address the patient was deceased."

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