A 73-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder over what was initially treated as an assisted suicide has been released on bail.

The pensioner was held after the death of a 70-year-old woman at her home in Rattlesden, Suffolk, at around 12.30pm on Monday.

Officers from Suffolk Police initially arrested the 73-year-old on suspicion of assisting a suicide, and he was taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre while detectives launched an inquiry.

Police then arrested the man on suspicion of murder and he has now been bailed until August 24.

The woman who died was named locally as Mary Taylor and the arrested man is understood to be her husband, Ian.

The couple had two daughters, Rachel and Emmeline, both in their forties and living in Norfolk.

Mrs Taylor had been in poor health and Mr Taylor would put up sound-proofing at their home when the bells were rung at the parish church, St Nicholas, because she was so sensitive to noise.

David Ward, tower captain at the church, said: 'He had a lot of sound-proofing. When he knew the bells were going to ring, he put the sound-proofing up so it would limit the effect on Mrs Taylor.

'If there was going to be ringing outside the standard times, I would telephone him and tell him when it was likely to start and when it was likely to finish. He was always very grateful and very polite. He was always a really nice guy.'

Another villager said the couple 'kept themselves to themselves', and he knew little about them.

One neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: 'We've lived here a few years now and Mary was always a bit ill and Ian was always running around after her.

'I don't really know them, apart from saying hello. I could count on one hand the number of times I've seen Mary.'