A MAN was being questioned by police today over the death of a mother-of-two, who was found with stab wounds after a barbecue at her home.

Ruth Phillips, 29, was found dead at her house in Moor View, Salterforth, at 3.30am yesterday by paramedics.

A police spokesman said a 26-year-old man was arrested and taken to Burnley police station, where he was being questioned today.

Neighbours said that Ruth had lived in the house with her partner Lee Waddington and two young daughters for a few weeks and was starting to get to know people in the village.

They said Ruth's youngest daughter Tia celebrated her second birthday on Saturday morning before friends and family enjoyed a barbecue and party in the afternoon and into the evening.

Tia's sister Abey Waddington, four, was due to start school at Coates Lane primary school, Barnoldswick, tomorrow but staff at the school today said she was not expected in.

The two girls are being looked after by Ruth's family. She has a sister and brother and other relatives in Barnoldswick. Neighbours said the couple had only moved to Salterforth during the local July holiday fortnight.

They said Lee works at a packaging firm in Nelson.

One couple, who live nearby and did not want to be identified, said they had been at the barbecue.

The man said: "We heard some screaming at about 2am and we thought there was something wrong with one of their children so we offered to babysit the other one. That was when we were told what had happened."

The woman said: "We left the barbecue at their house at about 11pm and everything had been absolutely fantastic. There wasn't any tension and it was all very relaxed.

"We are very shocked and are just trying to keep busy now.

"We had only ever spoken to her over the fence before and the barbecue was the first time we had sat down and had a chat.

"They seemed a really nice couple and we couldn't say a wrong word about them.

"It has affected the whole village -- everyone is devastated."