Inquiries are continuing today into the death of a grandmother who was crushed when a metal gate fell on top of her on her driveway.

Police launched an investigation with the Health and Safety Executive and Trading Standards after the woman, believed to be in her fifties, died on Wednesday evening at her Blofield Heath home.

It is understood she had got out of her car to look at the gate when it collapsed on top of her.

Her granddaughter, believed to be aged four, was in the car nearby.

The woman lived in the house with her family and granddaughter.

She was found unconscious beneath the gate at around 6.30pm by two horse riders. One of them stayed with her while the other rushed to get help.

Neighbour Anne Neame said: 'It just shocked everybody. You don't expect something like that to happen.'

She said the riders were coming up Field Lane, off Woodbastwick Road, when their horses refused to go any further.

Mrs Neame said: 'They saw this gate had collapsed and then when they looked again they saw someone was underneath it.'

Emergency services were called and Mrs Neame tried to help her neighbour when she noticed the young girl in the car.

Mrs Neame told the EDP: 'She said, 'my nana has fallen over'. We brought her up here and played with the horses.'

She said the family had moved into the house last summer and the gate had been installed within the last couple of months.

Paramedics and fire crews were called but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Fire crews from Carrow and Sprowston were called at 6.45pm and had to use airbags to lift the gate.

Police are treating the death as unexplained. It is not thought that anyone else was involved.

East of England Ambulance Service spokesman Gary Sanderson said: 'We were alerted at 6.40pm and sent two ambulance crews and a rapid response car to the scene. Our thoughts are with her family at this tragic time.'

Police were still investigating the scene at Willow House yesterday.

A post mortem examination will take place on Monday.