DETECTIVES were today questioning a man about the hours leading up to the "suspicious" death of his common law wife.

Robert Glover was arrested last night by detectives probing the death of 50-year-old Elizabeth Keefe.

Detectives launched a search for Mr Glover, aged 40, who disappeared on Saturday morning after telling a relative he was popping out for a few minutes. But last night he walked into Leigh police station and was arrested.

Today detectives are quizzing him about the death of the mother of two who was found dead on the bedroom floor of the couple's home in Mealhouse Lane, Atherton by her daughter Denise Coates.

Mrs Coates had travelled from her home in Essex to spend the Bank Holiday weekend with her mother.

She told police she let herself in by the back door just before 9am and met Mr Glover who said he would be back in few minutes. She went upstairs and found her mother dead. Today the distressed daughter was staying with her brother Warren who lives in the area.

Police are refusing to reveal the results of a post mortem which has been carried out on Mrs Keefe.

But it is believed she had been dead several hours before she was found.

A senior detective said today: "We are treating it as a suspicious death and Mr Glover is assisting us with our inquiries."

The families of Mr Glover and Mrs Keefe were too upset to talk about the tragedy. But neighbours described them as a "quiet and lovely couple" who had been together for about 15 years.

Next door neighbour Carol Kendrick said: "They were a very nice, quiet, friendly couple who kept themselves to themselves.

"It is all very distressing and everybody around here is shocked."

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