Friends of grandmother Violet Price who was murdered in France last week have paid tribute to her.

A man reported to be Mrs Price’s daughter-in-law’s brother has been charged with her murder after mutilated remains were found in woodland in France at the weekend after a search involving 70 police officers.

Ken and Pat McAleer have fond memories of Mrs Price, an 80-year-old widow who moved to France having lived in Dudley Drive, Morden, and an area of Banstead for a number of years.

Mr and Mrs McAleer’s son Andrew went to Tudor infants school and Aragon Primary School in Morden with Mrs Price’s son Paul, who are both now in their late thirties.

Paul is now married with two children and lives near Bordeaux near to his mother. He raised the alarm on Saturday after he went to her home and there was no answer.

The report sparked a large scale hunt for Mrs Price, whose husband Harry died from cancer last year, and her body was found in nearby woodland.

It has been reported she moved to France three years ago, but Mr McAleer said she left the UK in either 1996 or 1997 to live there with Harry.

The families kept in touch by letter and exchanged Christmas cards every year which included letters with family news in them.

Mr McAleer, of Lynmouth Avenue, Morden, said: "My wife said Vi was no-one’s fool.

"In the papers it says she was timid but that’s not our recollection – she may have got timid in her older age.

"She was a very strong-willed person and didn’t tolerate fools."

He added his wife was very upset when she read about Mrs Price, as they had been close over the years.

She lived in Morden for four or five years before moving to Banstead. Mr McAleer said she worked at a prison nearby.

"Her letters at Christmas were getting shorter and shorter," Mr McAleer added.

"Last Christmas it was very short and difficult to read, she was obviously getting older."

He said the last letter they received at Christmas said it had been a tough year for her with her husband Harry’s death.

31-year-old Madi Mahaboubi has been charged with her murder.