A 60-year-old woman found dead in the street in Blackburn on Monday probably died of hypothermia, police said.

Rita Sutton, of Kinross Walk, Audley, was found by a postman outside her flat at around 9.20am.

She died later in the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

A police spokeswoman said early indications from a post-mortem examination suggested she had died of hypothermia.

Police are investigating the events surrounding her death and appealing for any information off the public.

Detective Inspector Neil Ashton, who is leading the investigation, said: “We are currently trying to establish Mrs Sutton’s movements prior to her being found by the postman.

“Obviously she has collapsed outside on a bitterly cold night not far from her home.

"I am keen to find out where she had been that night and who she had been in contact with in the early hours of Monday morning.”

Anybody with information should contact Blackburn police on 0845 1 25 35 45 or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Two days earlier another Blackburn woman, Karen Davies, 47, was found dead in the street.