A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman who was found with stab wounds at a house in north London following a suspected a gas explosion.

The Met Police and London Fire Brigade were called to reports of a blast with a person trapped inside a terraced house on Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, just before 05:00 BST. The woman, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 44-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder was taken to hospital with slash wounds. His condition is not life-threatening, the Met Police said.

Two children aged seven and nine were also taken to hospital as a precaution, although they are not believed to have been inside the property at the time of the explosion.

Neighbour Caroline Lacey told the BBC the house was home to a family.

“It’s very, very sad… they’re a young couple, they’ve got young children, so it’s a shock… it’s tragic.”

One local mother said: “It’s a very sad time for everybody, and right on your doorstep as well, it’s scary.”

Neighbours described the noise as the blast tore through the house, with one resident saying he heard a crash “like somebody dropped a massive glass cabinet from a crane”.

The man, who did not want to be named, added: “I looked out and saw panes of glass on the floor.

“Eventually I noticed the beam on the bay window was missing and could see some mild smoke coming out of the back.

“People starting arriving and saying to phone the police.”

Six fire engines and about 40 firefighters were called to the house.

The front bay window appeared to have been completely blown out, with debris including plants, wooden shutters and glass scattered across the street.

A 25-metre cordon was erected and some nearby roads remain closed.

A neighbour said: “I was asleep upstairs and heard a sudden bang then I saw from the curtain all the glass all on the floor.

“I was worried. Everybody on the street came out in their pyjamas.”

Another resident said: “I’m pretty sure it was two bangs I heard. There was lots of glass shattering… it sounded like lots of glasses had been smashed on the floor.”

A resident in Kersley Road, near Dumont Road – who did not want to be named – said she was in shock.

She said: “That is so sad. I just want to cry. I have never heard of something like this happening here. I am just in shock.

“I feel sorry for the kids; what sort of news is this?”

The Met Police said there would be additional patrols in the area while the investigation continued.

Additional reporting by PA Media