A SUNDERLAND woman is being held by police on the Costa del Sol after she is believed to have stabbed her husband to death.

The 48-year-old was arrested in the early hours of Monday morning after police were called to the apartment in the Altavista complex in Torremuelle, Spain.

Her 57-year-old husband was found lying naked in a pool of blood on the living room floor.

The couple, who have been married for 18 years and are originally from Wearside, had moved to the resort of Benalmadena six months ago.

British neighbours of the couple were woken at 2am by the screams of the woman as she called for help.

When they entered the apartment they discovered the husband dead.

It is claimed the woman, whose details have not been released except for her initials MC, initially told detectives the apartment had been raided by three armed men, one of whom had stabbed her partner in a struggle.

However, officers subsequently discovered a large knife covered in blood in the kitchen sink and took her in for questioning.

An initial examination of the body revealed that the man had died from a deep knife wound to the neck.

The woman spent Monday night in police custody in Torremolinos and is due to appear in court today.