An 80-year-old woman is believed to have been set on fire outside her home by a suspect using a flammable accelerant, police have said.

Officers were called at about 12:45 GMT on Monday to reports the victim was found in a first-floor communal area in Caractacus Cottage View in Watford.

Detectives have since named her as Brenda Raymond, who is in hospital with life-threatening injuries and remains in a critical condition.

“An accelerant may have been used before she was deliberately set on fire,” said Hertfordshire Police, which is treating the incident as an attempted murder.

Evidence from the scene indicated that a flammable liquid may have also been poured through the letterbox of another property, the force added.

Tim Bromwich, who lives in a flat below the victim, said he had known her for 30 years and used to work with her, until she retired five years ago.

He said “it’s just horrific”, calling her a “real talker and a lovely, lovely woman”.

He said he took his car out for an MOT at about 08:30. When he returned about 13:00, within 15 minutes a large number of emergency crews had arrived.

“I’ve never seen so many emergency vehicles in my life. Here was like 11 police cars, three ambulances, two paramedic trucks, three fire engines, then eventually the air ambulance,” he said.

Bromwich said he had captured his neighbour walking past on his video doorbell at about 11:15, and shared his footage with the police.

He described where they lived as a “quiet area”. “You can step outside here at night and there’s not a sound,” he said.

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, told the BBC: “It’s very shocking, very surprising, it’s very quiet around here, nothing ever happens.

“No-one can understand anything that happened.”

The Liberal Democrat mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said he was “devastated” by the news.

“I’ve met her in the past and love her warm, friendly personality.

“I know that people across the town will be holding her in our thoughts and prayers, and hoping that she survives.”

Det Insp Adam Bridges said: “This was an appalling and deeply distressing attack on an elderly woman who suffered horrific injuries after being set alight outside her own home.

“Her family are understandably distraught and have taken the step of releasing her name and photograph to help jog people’s memories around this distressing and highly unusual incident.”

The force has asked anyone who may have captured any relevant dashcam or CCTV footage from the area to get in touch.

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