A man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder has died in hospital after he and a woman suffered serious burns in a fire within a garden.

The woman, in her 70s, remains in a critical condition in hospital.

A post-mortem examination will be carried out to establish the cause of death of the man, who was in his 50s.

Essex Police believe the blaze in Boyce Green, Benfleet, was a deliberate act.

Officers had received reports of a disturbance at about 10.50am on Tuesday and the man was arrested at the scene before he was taken to hospital.

The two casualties were airlifted to Broomfield Hospital.

Senior Investigating officer DCI Daniel Stoten, of Kent and Essex’s Serious Crime Directorate, said: “Our investigation has progressed and after talking to witnesses and making enquiries at the scene, we believe this was a deliberate act.

“Sadly, a man that we wanted to talk to about this incident has died from his injuries.

“We are confident that we are not looking for anyone else connection with this incident, but are still trying to establish what happened.”

He urged people who were in the area between 6am and 11am, including golfers at a nearby golf club, to call police on 101 quoting incident 311 of 13/03 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.