POLICE were searching the Common just hours before a man was charged with murdering a woman in Millbrook.

Half a dozen officers were seen scouring bushes and foliage around the park on Tuesday to look for evidence.

It comes as last night police charged a man with the murder of a woman in her 60s who was found dead in Mansel Road East on Monday at 8.35pm.

READ MORE: Man charged with murder after woman found dead

Mansel Court resident Spencer Urquhart told the Echo that his heart goes out to the family.

The 65-year-old said: “I know the lady who died. We always said hello when passing. We used to have a chat and a laugh.

“She was a lovely lady. It was a shock. My heart feels so bad for the family.”

Another resident nearby, on Mansel Road East, described the news as “very sad”, especially as it was so close to home.

“It’s terrible,” Julia Berry told the Echo. “It’s quite a shock, so close as well. It’s very sad.”

The 79-year-old added: “It won’t feel safe now. I have lived here for 55 years. All the neighbours are talking about it but no one seems to know anything.”

Another 52-year-old who works in Windermere Avenue said: “I do not know the circumstances. It is a shock.”

Cllr Sally Spicer has also paid tribute to the victim.

She said: “My thoughts go to the victim’s family.

“Awful thing to have happen locally and in my ward of Redbridge. The local community is shocked by this.”

READ MORE: Police search the Common as probe into alleged murder continues

A cordon was in place around two blocks of flats in Mansel Court on Tuesday, with forensics seen visiting another house in Windermere Avenue.

Residents spoke of an ambulance with police vans turning up on Monday night.

DCI Nicola Burton, leading the investigation, said that officers will be seen “in the west of the city carrying out extensive enquiries so we can piece together exactly what happened”.

Richard Shaw, 48, of Derby Road, Southampton, has been charged with murder and is due to appear in Southampton Magistrates’ Court today.

A 38-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of murder has been released with no further action.

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