Co Down town in ‘shock’ following sudden death of woman

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

People in Banbridge are in shock following the sudden death of a woman, local representatives have said.

Police remain at the scene in Laurel Heights in the Co Down town on Sunday with a road sealed off.

Emergency services were called to an incident shortly after 6pm on Saturday.

The PSNI said detectives are investigating the sudden death of the woman and cordons are currently in place.

The ambulance service said two paramedics attended the scene.

A statement said: “The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 18:23 following reports of an incident in the Laurel Heights area of Banbridge.

“NIAS despatched two rapid response paramedics and an emergency crew to the incident.

“Following initial assessment, no patients were taken from the scene.”

DUP MP Carla Lockhart described it as a “tragic incident”.

She said: “My sympathies are very much with the family of the deceased at this very difficult time.

“The PSNI are currently holding the scene, and there will be a significant police presence in the area for some time.

“I would ask everyone to give officers the time and space they need to conduct their investigation.

“If anyone has any information that could assist the police, I would urge you to come forward as soon as possible.

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this difficult situation.”

Alliance Party councillor Joy Ferguson said people in the town were “really shocked” by the death.

“Here in Laurel Heights particularly, this is a very close knit community. They really feel this tragedy,” she told the BBC.

“It’s not what we want to see and we as a community want to rally round everyone who is impacted.”

Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie said it was “awful news”.

In a social media post, he added: “My thoughts are with the family and friends of this woman and the police officers dealing with it.”