British woman murdered on French Riviera

A murder inquiry has been launched after a British woman was found dead in the French Riviera, the Foreign Office confirmed today.

Carol Hagues, 65, was discovered in her apartment on Thursday, with stab wounds to the neck and chest, according to local reports.

Her boyfriend, who is believed to be Spanish, was being questioned by police in the upmarket seaside resort, the newspaper Nice-Matin reported.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We can confirm the death of a British national, a resident in France, who recently died in a place named Cagnes-sur-Mer, in southern France.

"We are providing consular assistance to next of kin.

"It is our understanding that the police are treating the circumstances of the death as suspicious.

"They are investigating a murder inquiry."