The mother of two children found dead following a house fire in Eastbourne wept today as she visited the scene to lay flowers.

Denise Goldsmith escaped with only minor injuries from the house in Milfoil Drive, where her sons, aged five and seven, were found dead at 3pm yesterday. She was treated at a hospital in the town.

Ms Goldsmith was too upset to comment on the deaths of her children, who were later named by police as Taylor and Lewis Jenkins. She had to be restrained by her family from entering the house, which remains cordoned off while investigations into what caused the fire continue.

Forensics officers could be seen coming in and out of the end-of-terrace property along with fire investigators from East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (ESFR) who erected an inflatable tent outside to allow them to examine anything they brought out.

A team of detectives from the Sussex Police Major Crime Branch are investigating the circumstances that led to the deaths. Post mortems examinations have yet to take place.

Speaking outside the house, Chief Inspector Dick Coates - the Eastbourne District Commander who is leading the inquiry - said it would take a number of days to establish what had caused the fire but it was not being treated as suspicious.

He said: “This is a very tragic incident and my thoughts are with the boys’ family and friends. At the present time it is not known how this fire started. This will take a number of days to establish, working in partnership with our colleagues from the East Sussex Fire and Rescue service.

“Initial indications do not suggest anything other than this being a tragic accident, but I have to keep an open mind on this until a full investigation of the scene can be conducted.

“I would like to reassure residents that this is a very rare occurrence. The loss of anyone’s life is tragic enough, but for us to lose such young children from our community is a tragic blow.”

Neighbours and friends have left flowers and tributes outside the house to the “lovely little boys” who were said to be pupils at nearby Shinewater Primary School. One read: “To Denise, thinking of you all. God bless your babies. RIP.”

Jason Maynard said he was one of a number of people who tried to rescue the boys after the fire broke out at around 3pm yesterday.

Mr Maynard, 35, said: “I heard screaming and the sound of breaking glass. Me and my brother, Gary, ran over and could see the place was on fire.

“The mother was already outside and was screaming for someone to go in and get her kids. We could see the kitchen going up but we couldn’t get in, there were flames everywhere.”

He said he and his brother went to the back of the house but the door was blocked and they could not get through the front door either.

“It must have been one of those doors that just slam shut. We couldn’t hear the boys - she thought they were under the stairs. There was nothing we could do,” he said.

Visibly upset, he added: “The death of a child is the worst form of tragedy.”

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