The devastation cannot be described in words, says the family of the victims of the crossbow attack

BBC racing commentator John Hunt said the trauma his family suffered following the murder of his wife Carol and daughters Hannah and Louise “cannot be put into words”.

In a statement released on Saturday morning, Mr Hunt said he and Amy, his surviving daughter, were grateful for the support of their community but “the devastation we are experiencing cannot be expressed in words”.

Barely four days after his 61-year-old wife and daughters, 28 and 25, were killed in a crossbow attack at their home in Bushey, Herts, Mr Hunt said he and Amy were going through “an extremely difficult time”. Carol, Hannah and Louise died on Tuesday evening.

The statement released by Hertfordshire Police said: “We would like to thank people for their kind messages and the support we have received over the last few days. They have given us great comfort, for which we are very grateful.”

“As you can imagine, this is an extremely difficult time for us and we need time and space to process what has happened and begin the grieving process.”

Kyle Clifford, from Enfield, north London, was arrested on triple murder charges after he was found with a chest wound in a cemetery near his home on Wednesday afternoon. Police said Clifford, a former soldier and security guard, remained in hospital in a serious condition.