A woman has been charged with murder after human remains were found at a property.

Maureen Rickards, 50, of St Martin’s Road, Canterbury, has been remanded in custody and will appear before magistrates in Margate tomorrow.

While enquiries to establish the identity of the deceased are ongoing, police say the family of missing 65-year-old Jeremy Rickards have been informed.

The relationship between Maureen Rickards and Jeremy Rickards has not yet been confirmed by police.

Mr Rickards, who lived in St Martin’s Road, had been reported missing on Friday, July 5, having not been seen since the beginning of June.

Last week, DI Louise Murphy from Kent Police’s missing persons team said his family had not heard from him for a number of weeks.

The murder investigation is being carried out by detectives and residents of St Martin’s Road have been advised to expect an ongoing police presence in the area.

In a statement today, the force said the Crown Prosecution Service authorised a charge of murder against Maureen Rickards yesterday.

Pictures taken at the scene on Friday showed three houses cordoned off with police tape.

Residents have been adjusting to seeing their street - home to many families and students - turned into a crime scene with a large presence of police and forensics.

One neighbour, Katie Dolbear, a 21-year-old university student, told KentOnline: “It was a complete shock. We didn’t know what was going on. We just saw loads of vans pull up yesterday.

“It was quite worrying. We were a bit scared and concerned about what was going on. We double-locked the doors.

“It’s not something you expect to have on this road, especially. There’s lots of families on this road and students.”

Another student who lives on St Martin’s Road, 21-year-old Matthew Carney, said: “It’s a pretty shocking piece of news to hear.

“I wouldn’t have thought it would have been happening a few doors down from your doorstep.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact the investigation team here.