‘We know the whole of Weston-super-Mare will be distraught,’ Supt Jen Appleford told residents on Tuesday after a nine-year-old girl died at a home on Lime Close and a teenage boy was arrested within minutes. Police said there is no increased risk to public safety.

Officers were called by paramedics at 18:09 GMT on Monday 15 December to a property on Lime Close in the Mead Vale area. An officer arrived within three minutes and a teenage boy was detained at 18:19 in nearby Worle; he remains in custody.

Supt Appleford said specialist officers are supporting the girl’s family and asked the public not to speculate while formal identification and a post-mortem take place. Extra patrols are planned to reassure residents.

Neighbours spoke of disbelief at the size of the emergency response. ‘I’ve never seen so many police cars in all my life,’ said long-time resident Glynis Field, who described sirens and armed officers arriving on Monday night.

North Somerset Council leader Mike Bell said he was ‘shocked and saddened’ and expected the community to pull together to support the family and one another as the investigation continues.

Detectives have set up a cordon around the address and begun house-to-house enquiries. Anyone with information from Lime Close or the footpaths towards Worle around 6pm on Monday should call 101 and quote reference 5225352036.

Avon and Somerset Police say officers will remain visible in surrounding streets in the coming days and encourage residents with concerns to speak to them. The force is not aware of any wider threat to public safety.

For a town where children often play out between tea and bedtime, news like this lands hard. Communities across the North know that feeling too: a quiet estate, blue lights, and then a long wait for answers. We will stick to confirmed facts and update as police release more.