Neighbours rushed to the rescue of two young girls after witnessing an attack in which their mother and a teenager were killed.

The pair, Nick and Jan Maher, took the children into their home to keep them safe following the attack on Wessex Road, Salisbury, at just before 3pm yesterday.

It comes after their mother, named locally as carer Aneta Zdun, was attacked and killed along with another woman – understood to be 18-year-old Nikoleta Zdun.

Wiltshire Police were quickly on the scene and arrested a man in his 30s. He has been named by locals as Marcin Zdun.

Witnesses say that Zdun was chased and ‘flattened’ by two ‘big’ builders.

Salisbury Journal: Police cordoned off nearby roadsPolice cordoned off nearby roads

READ MORE: Two dead at Salisbury home - man arrested

Speaking about the incident, Mr Maher, 59, said: “There was some noise and I thought it was kids playing... but it got louder, dramatically louder.

“One of our neighbours was over the road with another guy and they pulled two kids out, which were the young daughters.

“I thought they were having a fight at first but someone shouted ‘they’ve been stabbed, call the police’ so I went out and my wife and I grabbed the two children to put them in our house and keep them safe.

“One of our neighbours came up the hill very out of breath and said ‘we’ve caught him, just down the road’.”

His wife, 62, said: “The kids were screaming so I said ‘you come with me’.”

Mr Maher also praised his community for coming together to help and ‘saving the girls’ lives’.