Police appeal for help in Colne murder probe

Police were called to an address in Portland Street at 7-15 p.m. last night where the body of a man, believed to be in his mid to late 40s, was found.

A post mortem is due to be carried out later today to establish how he died. A murder investigation is now under way and police are carrying out a number of inquiries.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Gray, who is leading the investigation, said: “I have a team of detectives working to establish exactly how and why this man has died. If anybody has any information which they believe could help with our inquiries I would ask them to contact police.

“In particular, if anybody has noticed anything out of place or unusual in the Portland Street area over the past couple of days, I would also like to hear from them as we look to progress the investigation.”

A man and woman from Colne, aged 40 and 49, and a 34-year-old woman from Padiham have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are in police custody.

Anybody with any information can contact police on 08451 25 35 45 or you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on-line at Crimestoppers-uk.org.