Police say fatal fire was arson

Police have started a murder inquiry into the deaths of a woman and her two teenage daughters after an arson attack at their home.

Police have started a murder inquiry into the deaths of a woman and her two teenage daughters after an arson attack at their home.

The bodies of Linda Lowe, 49, and her daughters Sarah, 17, and Lucy, 16, were found in an upstairs bedroom of their terraced house in Leegomery, Telford. Lucy's one-year-old daughter, Tazneem, survived after being thrown from a window and is currently in hospital for "precautionary checks". Mrs Lowe's husband, George, and Lucy's boyfriend, Azhar Mehmood, also escaped with minor injuries

Detective Chief Inspector Clive Harding of West Mercia police said he believed the fire on Saturday morning had been started deliberately. Police said there was no evidence that the incident was a racially motivated attack. A police source was unable to confirm or deny reports that Lucy had been pregnant.

Det Ch Insp Harding said: "There is no motive that we are aware of. Extensive investigation of the scene by the fire service and forensic experts has found no evidence consistent with an accidental cause for this fire. I am therefore considering that the fire has been started deliberately and am conducting a murder investigation."