AN inquest has been opened into the death of a woman who was killed in a fire last week.

The body of Val Ashcroft, aged 64, was found in the living room of her home at Three Counties Park, Sledge Green, near Malvern, after the fire on Tuesday, March 25.

Neighbours on the residential park were woken in the early hours by the fire which ripped through the mobile home.

Attempts were made to rescue her, but residents were beaten back by the intensity of the blaze.

Investigators from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service subsequently attributed the fire to an electrical appliance, probably a portable heater.

The inquest into Mrs Ashcroft's death was opened on Tuesday, April 1, and has been listed for a final hearing.