Jed Allen hunted as three found dead in Didcot house

A man wanted in connection with the deaths of a man, woman and young girl found at a house in Oxfordshire is being hunted by armed police.

Jed Allen, 21, is thought to be a relative of the victims found in Vicarage Road, Didcot on Saturday.

University Parks in Oxford, where police, have focussed their search, has been closed.

A 48-year-old woman, a man aged 44 and girl, six, were found at the house at about 20:20 BST.

The three, who were members of the same family, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Det Supt Chris Ward, of Thames Valley Police, said Mr Allen was believed to be related to the family. He is also known to police and local to the area.

The public have been warned not to approach him.

Armed officers, police with riot gear and sniffer dogs are involved in the search for Mr Allen, who formerly worked as a university groundskeeper.

An Oxford University spokeswoman confirmed that University Parks had been closed at the request of Thames Valley Police.

Mr Allen is described as being 6ft (1.82m) tall, of large build, with a tattoo of a spider on his left hand.

The deaths are being treated as suspicious but no arrests have been made, police said.

At the scene in University Parks: Stuart Tinworth, BBC Oxford

We have seen a dozen police with riot shields. A huge amount of media have descended.

We are standing on a footpath - clearly visible are police who are armed.

The park has been closed all day. I've seen dozens of people turned away who were coming to use the park. News has spread quickly and people are very shocked.

There are iron railings lining the park. The police have all of the gates secured with officers.

The biggest police presence is at the South Lodge Gate and this is attracting the most attention from members of the public.

Det Supt Ward said: "It's very important we locate him as quickly as we can.

"I do not believe there are any dangers to the wider community of Oxfordshire. However, given the nature of what we are dealing with, it's important that we find him as quickly and as safely as possible."

He said the families of the victims had been informed and were being cared for by specialist officers.

Post-mortem examinations are due to take place later to determine the cause of death but police said they did not believe a gun was involved.

Det Supt Ward said there would be a number of searches in Didcot and Oxfordshire in the hunt for Mr Allen.

"I appreciate that's difficult for people and, while I want to reassure them, they will see a number of police officers and a lot of overt activity in relation to that," he added.

Police said a neighbour first called officers to the house, where the family is believed to have lived for about two months.

Vicarage Road is currently closed with access to residents only.

Sheila Welch, who lives on the street, said: "They are new neighbours and had only been here a couple of months - I don't know their names.

"I used to see them - a lovely mother and a little girl. They always looked so happy."

Ms Welch said she was first alerted when police descended on the quiet residential road, adding there were "just sirens and police cars".

"All I can say is that I am very upset - it is all very traumatic," she added.

Thames Valley Police is appealing for anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the street on Saturday evening to contact the force or Crimestoppers.