A man and woman in their 70s have been found dead at an address in a seaside town, police said.

Detectives have launched an investigation into the incident, which happened at a property in Anthony’s Avenue, Poole, Dorset, and was reported at 11.35am on Tuesday.

Police and the ambulance service went to the scene and the bodies of the pair were found inside the property, Dorset police said.

The man and the woman were known to each other, their next of kin have been informed and the coroner has been notified, the force said.

DI Ian Allen said: “This is a very sad incident and we are doing all we can to support the next of kin.

“Officers are carrying out inquiries to establish exactly what happened and a cordon is in place to allow a thorough investigation of the scene to take place.

“At this time, it is not believed anyone else was involved in the incident and inquiries will continue to find out the full circumstances surrounding the deaths.

“I am appealing to anyone who may have any information to help our investigation to please contact Dorset police.

“We are trying to establish a timeline of what happened, but are currently considering the period over the Christmas holidays until today.

“There will be an increased police presence in the area and we would encourage anyone to contact officers from the local neighbourhood policing team if they have any concerns or information.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset police at www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55240198989.