Concerns over costs could have delayed an investigation into Erith's missing ex-EastEnders actress Sian Blake and her children's disappearance, an ex-murder detective for the Met Police has suggested.

Three bodies were discovered in the back garden of the 43-year-old's home in Pembroke Road on Tuesday (January 5) - after she and her two sons, Zachary, eight, and Amon, four, disappeared on December 13.

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Sian Blake disappeared on December 13.

Sian had motor neurone disease - a fatal, rapidly progressing disease which affects the brain and spinal cord - and was reportedly looking "very frail" before she vanished.

Detectives are still urgently looking for Sian's boyfriend, the father of the boys, Arthur Simpson-Kent, who may have fled the UK after his family vanished.

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Zachary, eight (left) and Amon, four (right).

Police spoke to Mr Simpson-Kent on December 16.

The force has referred its handling of the case to watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), amid questions over why it took so long for a missing persons inquiry to be launched.

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Police remove bodies from the bungalow in Pembroke Road

Former murder detective Colin Sutton said concerns over the costs of policing over the Christmas period may have been a factor in an apparent delay.

He told the Times: "There is greater pressure than ever not to waste money that may have influenced the decision making.

"It was the wrong decision and a bad decision and it's noticeable that as soon as everyone got back to work after Christmas on Monday morning that things really started happening."

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Sian's family have said they "want answers" about why it took police nearly three weeks to find the bodies.

Yesterday (January 6) a spokesman for the Met said: "An initial review has highlighted some potential issues regarding the handling and grading of the missing persons investigation."

Read a full round-up of the case so far here.