Police have launched a triple murder inquiry after two adults and a child were found shot dead in a remote south Somerset village.

Officers were called to the tiny community of Horton, near Ilminster, at 1815 BST on Tuesday after neighbours called police having heard shots being fired in Broadside, a side road off Goose Lane.

They found the body of a woman in a parked car and that of a six or seven-year-old girl nearby.

A third body, of a man, was discovered in a garden, also close by.

Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the shootings.

It is a very close knit community where everyone knows each other and this will come as a real blow

Nina Jerez, Horton postmistress

Nina Jerez, postmistress at Horton Post Office, Goose Lane, told BBC News Online the road outside her house had been closed off all evening.

The murder scene was only 200 metres away from the front of her house, she added.

Mrs Jerez, who has run the village post office for four years with husband Tony, said: "It is unbelievable.

"It is a very close knit community where everyone knows each other and this will come as a real blow.

"We were just saying this is something that usually only happens somewhere like London or Bristol, not Horton."

Firearm recovered

Mrs Jerez said a number of residents had already called her to ask what was going on.

A firearm has been recovered from the scene, and the area sealed off to allow for forensic officers to move in.

Police: Incident has been very traumatic

The three victims were all declared dead at the scene though police have no details as yet as to the exact cause of death.

The bodies of the victims have been examined by a Home Office pathologist and have been removed from the scene.

The coroner has been informed of their deaths and post-mortems will take place later on Wednesday.

Marie Crean, 54, who lives in the village and works as a care assistant at a local nursing home said: "There was a burglary about four or five years ago, but everybody helps each other and we all look out for suspicious characters in the village.

"I think people will be very shocked. I'm shocked."

Detective Chief Inspector Trevor Margenout, from Avon and Somerset Police, said a number of children in the village may have been traumatised by the shootings.

He said: "They will have been affected by this and may have seen the incident unfold or the aftermath.

"The police will be contacting other agencies to see what support we can provide."

Police are appealing for witnesses, particularly drivers who may have been using the road through Horton - a popular cut-through between Ilminster and Taunton.