The victims were identified locally as builder Gary Dunmore, 57, and his son Josh Dunmore, 32, who worked in the trades. Both were found with gunshot wounds within 40 minutes of each other.

While formal identifications through the police are yet to take place, the neighbours of both villages have confirmed the victims’ identities.

The police reported that the double shooting seemed to be a targeted and planned attack based on a custody battle.

The people of both villages, along with the victims’ friends and family, expressed their grief through flowers and notes left at the scenes, expressing their love and admiration for the father and son. Neighbours in both villages described hearing gunshots on Wednesday evening, with others reporting sirens, shouts from armed police, and the police helicopter circling overhead.

The police later arrested a 27-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman in Cambridge, while a 66-year-old man was arrested by armed officers in the Worcester area in the early hours of Thursday.

They also recovered a white Peugeot 208, believed to have been used by the offender, and a shotgun. The police have been working on the case to identify the motive and others who may have been involved.