IT could be some days before the victim of a house fire in Padiham is named.

Formal identification of the woman thought to be aged 30 is proving difficult and will have to be done through forensic tests.

Experts were today still working to identify the victim of the inferno which swept a house in Victoria Road, Padiham, late on Saturday.

Police are hoping dental records will unlock the mystery of the name of the lodger at the house.

The house is understood to be owned by Mr Jermaine Cheetham and his sister Nicola, but neither were at the property at the time of the blaze.

Lodgers who had stayed at the house recently included a woman who had just arrived called Jayne Nazurally.

Police have confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances and that the fire was a tragic accident.

The exact cause is still under investigation. East Lancashire Coroner David Smith has been informed.

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