A mother and son have been found dead in the lounge of their home.

Both were slumped in armchairs and had been there for several weeks.

The radio was still on and the mother was clasping a torch, while the son had a rug over his legs.

Police launched an investigation but have ruled out crime.

A spokesman said it appeared both died from natural causes within minutes of each other.

The alarm was raised by staff at a sub post office where Charlotte Major, 82, regularly went to collect her pension.

They had not seen her and asked a neighbour to knock on Mrs Major's door at the semi-detached house in Norwich Drive, Bevendean, Brighton.

The neighbour, whose daughter is a police officer, got no response and called police.

Officers broke in yesterday and discovered Mrs Major and her son Clifford Parsons, 45, in the lounge. Both were fully clothed.

The television was switched off but a TV guide was opened at February 25.

One neighbour, fighting back tears when she heard the news, said: "I saw Charlotte getting out of a taxi outside her home a few weeks ago. She was carrying shopping.

"It's terribly sad."

Police called in Transco engineers to check gas appliances but there were no leaks.

Post mortems will be carried out on Monday to determine the cause of the deaths but foul play is not suspected.

Mr Parsons suffered from Parkinson's disease and his mother had a water-retention problem but was otherwise well.

Early indications are that they both died from natural causes.

One neighbour said: "Charlotte was devoted to Clifford."

Another neighbour said: "I think Mr Parsons had a bit of a mental problem. Children sometimes picked on him. I once stopped a group of children who were throwing stones at him."

The mother and son's home is opposite the Church of the Holy Trinity. A volunteer there said: "I tried to get Charlotte to come to church but she did not want to come.

"They were a bit reclusive. She would smile and say hello but neither was very chatty."

Mrs Major, who had been married twice, had lived at the house for more than 16 years. She has a second son who lives in Rotherham.