A husband rang police and confessed to murdering his wife shortly before he killed himself in a car crash, it's been claimed.

The couple were today named by neighbours as Nigel Ordinans, 63, and his wife Linda, 61.

Detectives were alerted when Mr Ordinans is said to have called Kent Police telling them his wife's body was at their home on Mill Green, in Wolverhampton.

A short time later he was found dead following a single vehicle car crash 180 miles away from the murder scene near Dover docks.

West Midlands Police then found Mrs Ordinans' body in the early hours of yesterday at their £200,000 three-bedroom detached home.

Mr Ordinans was said by neighbours to be a transport manager who retired six months ago, while his wife Linda was an office worker.

Neighbour Leslie Whitehouse, 78, who lives four doors down from the couple, said: "The couple have lived in the street for more than 30 years.

"They were always quite pleasant but private. They kept themselves to themselves. I don't think they had children.

"There was lots of police activity at their house yesterday.

"The police visited us yesterday and reassured us that there had been an incident but they were not looking for anyone else and it was confined to that household.

"It is shocking to think a murder happened so close to where we live. We generally say hello to each other and try and look out for one another on this road.

"It is shocking to think a murder happened so close to where we live" - the Ordinans' neighbour Leslie Whitehouse

"It's tragic, especially so close to Christmas but goes to show you never really know what happens behind closed doors."

Detective Inspector Warren Hines of West Midlands Police said: "We are in the early stages of our investigation but it seems that the man has killed his wife before taking his own life.

"We are not looking for anyone else at present in connection with either death."

Kent Police said Mr Ordinans was found in a car on its side in the remote Upper Road area of Dover after midnight yesterday.

West Midlands Det Insp Warren Hines said: "We are in the early stages of our investigation but it seems that the man has killed his wife before taking his own life.

"We are not looking for anyone else at present in connection with either death."

West Midlands and Kent Police are liaising and post mortem examinations will take place in due course.

Anyone with information which could assist the enquiry should call DI Hines on 101.