NEIGHBOURS and acquaintances of the two brothers whose bodies were found in a Malvern house on Wednesday afternoon have spoken of their shock at the news.

Police confirmed yesterday afternoon (Thursday) that the bodies were those of 80-year-old Charles Sawbridge and his brother Harold, aged 83.

They were discovered in their Pound Bank Road home by neighbour Terence Bonomini.

Mr Bonomini, who lives two doors away, had let himself in after he and his wife Diana had become concerned that Harold had not been seen for sometime.

He said: "They were very nice people and very good friends to me. That's all I can tell you."

Another neighbour, Mabel Lewis, said that she regularly saw Harold on his bicycle. She said: "He was a very nice man, he was always pedalling a bike."

The Rev Peter Furber, vicar of Christ Church in Avenue Road, said of Harold: "He was a very faithful member of the 8 o'clock morning congregation for a large number of years and a very devoted Christian.

"As a former carer himself he devoted his retirement to caring for his mentally handicapped brother Charlie."

He said that Harold served as a sacristan for the church, which meant working on the preparation for communion services.

"Although he was a private person he was quite a character in his own right," he added.

Brian Jenkins, a reader at Christ Church, said Harold, a former nurse at Powick Hospital, had looked after his brother Charles for years.

Police officers entered the house at 37 Pound Bank Road at about 4pm after being contacted by the Bonominis.

Post mortems due to be carried out on both men yesterday morning did not take place but are expected to be carried out this morning.

Worcester Coroner's Office said no date has yet been fixed for an inquest into the deaths.