A multi-agency inquiry was launched following the decision by the owners of Roselawns in Reading to close down earlier in March.

Police say they began their investigations after concerns were raised by the family of a Whitley woman, who lived at the home before her death.

They are also looking at the deaths of a second woman and a man, who have died in the last three years.

Records seized

No further details of these people have been released.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: "The police investigation remains in its early days and is looking at standards of care generally at this home.

"As part of their work, officers have seized an amount of paperwork and records, but further details will not be released for operational reasons."

The home's closure came after the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) threatened to remove the home's licence following an inquiry into complaints from residents.

Closure shock

Following that, 22 elderly residents had to be moved into new accommodation at only two days notice.

Alex Roth, 27, from Reading, whose 91-year-old grandmother had to be moved to a home in Oxfordshire after Roselawn's sudden closure, told BBC News Online: "'We never thought to question anything the staff did.

"The closure of Roselawns happened very quickly. The fast move has really affected my grandmother - she has really gone downhill with the shock and upheaval of it all.

"The new home she is in seems miles better. The staff seem so much more attentive''

The police are now working with Reading Borough Council's social services department, health chiefs and the NCSC.