A church service is held in memory of a mother and her daughter who died in a house fire in Braintree.

Richard Smith
BBC Essex

A number of people have continued to lay flowers outside the house where a mother and daughter died on Wednesday night.

Alina Kordaszewska and her daughter Emilia were killed after becoming trapped inside a property that caught fire in South Street, Braintree. 

Essex Police officers remain at the scene this morning, where they are investigating alongside the fire service.

A festive warning from police if you're heading to Stansted or Southend Airport...

Georgina Burnett
BBC Weather

It will be breezy but dry this morning with sunny spells. However, the wind will increase during the afternoon and heavy rain and strong gusty winds will sweep in later, bringing difficult driving conditions during rush hour with a high of 10C (50F).

There are more details on the BBC Weather website.

Good morning and welcome back to Essex Live on the final Friday before Christmas.

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That's it for our live updates today - thank you for joining us.

The story we've been covering through the day is the death of Alina Kordaszewska and her daughter Emilia. The pair were killed in a fire at a house in South Street, Braintree, last night.

A special mass is taking place for them tonight - we'll bring you news of that when updates resume in the morning.

A Polish mother and daughter killed in a fire at their home in Braintree in Essex.

We've found out the woman who died in last night's house fire in Braintree, Alina Kordaszewska, had worked for a company called CommScope in the town for the past seven years.

Her daughter Emilia, who also died in the fire, was a Notley High School pupil described as "likeable and popular".

A special mass is being held to remember them at 18:30 at Braintree's Our Lady, Queen of Peace church.

Notley High School has paid tribute to its pupil Emilia Kordaszewska, the child who died in the house fire in Braintree.

In a statement on the school's website, headmaster David Conway said: "On behalf of the whole community of Notley High School & Braintree Sixth Form I would like to express our unutterable sadness at the death of one of our students in a tragic house fire."

Emilia's tutor described her as a "delightful, friendly and positive student" who had "settled in well during her first term" at the school.

Image source, Notley High School

Essex Police has told us one of its officers was assaulted in Braintree last night after being on duty at the scene of the fatal house fire.

The officer was on his way back to the town's police station when he found an injured man, and was attacked by two other men while trying to find out what had happened.

When two other officers came to help, one of them ended up being assaulted as well.

Three men have been arrested in connection with the incident.

The communications company which employed a Braintree mother who died in last night's fire says it is doing everything it can "to assist the family".

"We regrettably confirm that a CommScope employee has died in Braintree," a spokeswoman said.  

"Once CommScope was notified, we took immediate measures to deal with the impact on employees and teams on site.

"CommScope is doing everything it can to assist the family, as well as CommScope employees at this difficult time."

A crowd funding page set up to help the family of the woman and child who died in the Braintree house fire has raised more than £4,200 just a few hours after being set up.

"Although materialistic things can never heal what's happened, nobody deserves to have nothing at Christmas," the page says.

More than 240 people have so far donated money, many leaving messages of condolence and support.

Essex Fire Service says its community safety team has been visiting homes around South Street in Braintree to give home fire safety and smoke alarm advice.

Crews spent hours at the scene last night tackling a blaze in which a mother and daughter died.

"Our team has knocked on hundreds of doors, given safety advice, checked people's smoke alarms and fitted them where needed," said Jo Jenner from the team.

"We hope these lifesaving checks will reassure residents and keep the community safe."

A former judge and her husband, who forged a will to inherit two cottages and stole more than £23,000 to renovate the properties, have been jailed for six months.

Image source, Nottingham Post

Ex-solicitor Margaret Hampshire and husband Alan previously admitted forging the will of Martin Blanche, who died in 2007.  

Sentencing the Hampshires, previously of Church Road, Wickham Bishops, Judge Gregory Dickinson yesterday described the crime as "shameful and astonishing".

Richard Smith
BBC Essex

A neighbour of the house in Braintree, where a fire killed a mother and daughter, says he couldn't believe what happened when everything had been so normal just hours before.

"My wife and I walked past earlier in the day and laughed at the Santa climbing up the window," Allen Littlechild said. "Hours later, the place is on fire."

Our reporter Richard Smith has sent back these images of the scene in South Street, Braintree this afternoon.

Investigations are still going on to find out what caused last night's fire.

A woman and her daughter - believed to be part of the Polish community - died in the blaze, and two other women were injured.

Kelly McCormack
BBC Radio Suffolk

Four men charged after violence broke out at an Ipswich travellers' site earlier this month will have to stay in custody.  

A hearing at Ipswich Crown Court refused bail to William Harbour and Ernest Oakley, both from Woodland Way on the West Meadows site, and Henry Harbour and Levi Harbour, both from Essex.

All four, who are next due in court in January, have been charged with arson with intent to endanger life, and criminal damage.

Stephen Kavanagh, the chief constable of Essex Police, has tweeted about the fatal fire which claimed the lives of a Polish woman and her daughter in Braintree last night.

Gareth George
BBC Look East

Some of the tributes left in memory of the woman and her daughter who died in the Braintree fire say they were "taken far too soon".

A message has been left alongside flowers outside the house in South Street, where some of the woman's colleagues have gathered.

Fire crews were called to the house at 22:45 last night. Two women who were also in the house were treated for breathing in smoke.

Richard Smith
BBC Essex

A mother and daughter died in the house fire in Braintree, a colleague of the woman has said.

Rafa Bogonos has been at the scene on South Street, saying he wanted to "put flowers and pray for their souls".

He said the mother was Polish.

"I can't even think or talk about it," Mr Bogonos said. "It's really hit our Polish community."