THE boyfriend of a woman who died in a blaze at her North-East home was yesterday released by detectives hunting her murderer.

University graduate Victoria Barker, 30, died after an explosion and fire at her home in South Stanley, County Durham, last month.

Police said yesterday that her 46-year-old boyfriend had been released on bail pending further inquiries. He is due to report to police again in four weeks.

Detectives questioned him on suspicion of murdering Victoria after arresting him on Saturday morning in a hospital in Durham City.

The couple's home was destroyed in a fireball blast on Saturday, August 12, in the middle of the morning.

Victoria, who had a degree in environmental law, died from smoke inhalation after being pulled from her blazing ground floor flat.

Her boyfriend, John Collings, with whom she was living with at the time, was taken to hospital for treatment, but was not seriously hurt.

Police began an immediate investigation, but only arrested Mr Collings after receiving the results of forensic tests.

Experts at the Home Office laboratory in Wetherby, North Yorkshire, have been studying material recovered from the house.

Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Ken Donnelly, said: "We had been waiting almost a month for the results of tests carried out over the past four weeks."

At the time of the blast, the couple's neighbour Trevor Lawson described the scene after the fire broke out.

He said: "I heard the smoke alarm, but didn't take any notice because it was constantly going off.

"About three minutes later the boyfriend, who I didn't know, came to the door dressed in his boxer shorts and asked me to call the fire brigade.

"His face was blackened by smoke and his hair was singed. There was smoke pouring from the flat. When he came to the door, I could hear his girlfriend whimpering and then there was nothing."

Other neighbours described how Mr Collings had tried to go back into the flat, but was forced back by the acrid smoke