Fresh tributes have been paid to a loving mother after her alleged murder left a community in shock.

Shelly Clark, 43, of Cleator, died on Thursday night at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven. Her death followed an incident in Cleator Moor the night before.

Trevor Green, 44, of Cleator, was charged with her murder on Saturday and is due to appear at the magistrates court in Workington today.

Ms Clark’s heartbroken family have described her as a friend of many.

Paying tribute to her, they said: “Shelly was a loving mother, daughter, sister, aunty, niece, cousin – and friend to many. She will be sorely missed.

“We have taken comfort from the messages we have received and would like to request privacy at this difficult time.”

The community has been left shaken by the events.

Cleator Moor parish council chairman Joan Hully said in the days following the incident people were scared to leave their homes due to the increased police presence.

She said: “No one knew what was going on. What happened is a crying shame at any time, but especially with this Covid virus, it is worse.

“I feel so sorry for the families involved, God bless them. I’d like to offer my condolences to them.

“We’re a close knit community here, everyone knows everybody and the community is shocked by what’s happened.

“We’re not a big city.”

Mike Starkie, mayor of Copeland, said: “When anything like that happens in our communities it is extremely sad.

“It is not the type of thing we hear about or expect to hear about in Copeland, it’s something that affects the community.”

A man, 62, who was arrested during the inquiry has been released with no further action.