A SOUTHPORT OAP was found  dead in her home last night after what Merseyside Police suspect was a burglary gone wrong.

Officers discovered the  body of the woman, believed  to be in her 80s, around  5.20pm yesterday.

Last night, a 43-year-old  man was in custody being  questioned by detectives on  suspicion of murder. The house and two others  were cordoned off while  forensic teams examined the  scene.

Shocked neighbours named the victim as  Margaret Biddolph,  who had lived in the  house, on Lonsdale  Road, in Southport, for  36 years. It is believed  she has three grown-up  children who live away.

One neighbour, who  didn’t want to be  named, said: “She kept herself to herself but We all  knew her and talked to  her because she had  been here so long and  was well-liked in the  neighbourhood. It’s a  big shock to  everybody.”

Alice Chandley was  walking home from  work with her  three-year-old daughter  when she saw police  cars.

She said:  “It’s such a quiet little  street, you never get  anything bad down  here. Everyone’s nice  and looks after each  other. It’s bizarre and a  shock.”

Another woman, who didn’t want to be named, said: “This is usually a quiet road because it’s not a through road, it’s a bit of a shock – you don’t expect it on your doorstep.”

At this stage of the  investigation, officers  are working to establish  what happened, but are  working on the theory  that the attack was a  bungled burglary.

DCI John Roberts, of  Merseyside Police, said:  “This is a tragic incident that has  resulted in the death of an elderly  woman. While we are at the early  stages of the murder inquiry, we are  investigating a possible connection  with a burglary.

“A man has been arrested in  connection with the incident and we  urge anyone who may have seen  anyone acting suspiciously in the  area in the days and weeks prior to  the incident, or has any information  about burglaries in the area to call us,  no matter how small that piece of  information may seem, as it could be  important to our investigation.”

House-to-house enquiries are  ongoing in the area, high-visibility  patrols have been stepped up and  CCTV is also being sought.

A post mortem was scheduled to  take place to establish the victim’s  cause of death and enquiries are  ongoing to trace next of kin.

Contact detectives on 0151 777 3833,  or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.