An elderly disabled woman has died in a fire at her Wallingford home.

Jean Jones, aged 78, was found on the ground floor of her detached home in St John's Road at about 3.30pm on Monday.

Neighbours were in conversation just yards away from the house when they spotted smoke coming from a window.

One of them broke down the front door but was forced back by flames and black billowing smoke.

A witness said: "I was standing by the house chatting to a neighbour. A lady came up and said there was smoke coming from the house and she went for help. The man I was chatting to broke the door in. There were flames and smoke bursting out everywhere. There was a very loud blast."

Six fire engines and 27 firefighters attended the scene.

They used breathing equipment to search the home and found Mrs Jones's body.

Ambulance crews were turned away from the home after firefighters declared her dead.

Police were today investigating the cause of the fire.

A police spokesman said: "Firefighters arrived to find a well-established house fire.

"We are sorry to confirm that during the search, one deceased person was located on the ground floor of the building."

Mrs Jones's only son, Simon, 39, a former pupil at Abingdon School, was informed of the news last night.

Mrs Jones was disabled and regularly visited by care assistants.

Neighbours said she had been ill for some time and lived alone in the house. Her husband Len, who worked at Harwell, died about 13 years ago.

A family friend who asked not to be named, said she was a frail lady, who had become a recluse after her husband's death.

He said: "She had lived here a very long time - about 33 years. She lived a reclusive life after her husband died. She has been ill for some time and was pretty much housebound."

Jocie Thomas, who had worked as Mrs Jones' cleaner, described her former employer as a very kind and generous lady.

Ms Thomas said: "I'm very sad. She was a nice lady. She was always very smart and wore make-up. She was a good cook. Whenever you visited her you always left with gifts. She was very kind. But she missed her husband terribly."

Mrs Jones's house had been The Greyhound pub before she moved in.