A town in shock...

Pain as family honoured at service | Friends say mum was 'lovely' | Victim's boyfriend pays tribute

- SASKIA ROWLANDS, SERENA RICHARDS, MATTHEW YOUNG, DAN WARBURTON

TEARS flowed as shaken residents gathered at a vigil to honour the family killed in a crossbow attack.

Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, were shot in their home on Tuesday and died at the scene.

There has been an outpouring of grief in Bushey, Herts, where the horror unfolded.

During the vigil yesterday at St James's Church, the Rev David Stevenson, the Rector of Bushey, praised the community for coming together to support each other.

He said: "We realise that we are just one big family." Three of Carol's close friends Dionne Smith, 58, Abigail Phillips , 58, and Lea Holloway, 60, said outside the church that they are bereft without her.

They added: "She was a lovely, lovely person. We can't believe what happened.

"We were a four, and now there's only three. It doesn't seem real. We are together in grief." Lea added: "We went on a youth opportunity scheme together when we were young and kept in touch ever since.

"We were pregnant at the same time which was lovely. It was my third child and Carol's second daughter, Hannah.

"I was with them when Carol and John met - we were out together in a nightclub.

"Carol and I used to have this running joke that John had asked me for a dance and I said 'no', then he moved to Carol.