A bungalow blaze in which an elderly woman died could have been started by her son who was also killed in the flames, police said today.

Murder squad detectives are investigating whether the man, married to a leading figure in the South-East's tourism industry, deliberately set his mother's home alight as she slept, killing them both.

Traces of petrol were found in and around the bungalow in Barley Lane, Hastings, where the pair were found dead on Monday morning.

After viewing CCTV footage, detectives in Operation Monmouth said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the blaze.

The victims are believed to be Dorothy Patten, known as Dora, who was in her 80s, and her son Michael Patten, although the bodies were so badly charred formal identification is unlikely for several days.

Mr Patten's wife, Joan, runs the nearby ShearBarn Holiday Park and is a well-known champion of the tourist industry with political ambitions.

She is the chairman of the South-East England Tourist Board, which covers Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

She fought unsuccessfully for a Tory seat for Castle ward on Hastings Borough Council at the local elections in May.

Family and friends were last night rallying round her at ShearBarn, high above Hastings Old Town, just a mile from the seafront.

One of the staff at the holiday park said today: "She doesn't want to make any comment at all."

Police today remained at the scene of the fire, which has been transformed into a makeshift shrine with flowers and messages of condolence.

Little remains of the two-bedroom bungalow.

It took 20 firefighters from three fire stations more than an hour to bring the blaze under control from 5.40am.

The latest revelations in the tragedy have shocked neighbours living in the picturesque part of Hastings overlooking East Hill.

Neighbour Eric Hoare, 55, said: "We cannot take it in. It's just unbelievable.

"Dora was fit and able, with no apparent disabilities. We would often see her tending her garden."