A teenager has been charged with murder, rape and arson, after the body of an elderly woman was discovered at a farm in Upleadon following a serious fire.

The 17-year-old appeared before Gloucester magistrates on Wednesday, where he was also charged with stealing a credit card from the farm and using it to obtain £250 in two instalments from a bank in Newent.

Magistrates remanded him in custody for a week.

Majorie Davis, 93, was found at her home in Alford's Farm, Upleadon, on September 3. The court heard that the body had still not been formally identified and that an inquest into the woman's death would not take place until her identity had been established with DNA tests.

More than 30 firemen took more than four hours to tackle the blaze. Police are continuing their investigations there but are being hampered by the discovery of brown asbestos on the site.