Damon Wake

An elderly couple with British nationality have been found dead at their holiday home in France.

Jon and Carlotta Ortuzar were found at their house in Urrugne, in the south-west of the country.

Investigators believe Mr Ortuzar, 76, strangled his 60-year-old wife before drowning himself in their swimming pool.

A letter in Spanish, thought to have been written by Mr Ortuzar, was found at the scene, and although its contents have not been revealed, an official described it as "explanatory".

According to the Sud-Ouest newspaper the couple, whose main residence was in Madrid, were last seen alive at church on Sunday.

On Tuesday, a cleaner arrived at their home and found Mr Ortuzar at the bottom of the swimming pool with weights tied to his waist.

His wife was found in her bedroom with bruises on her face and a cord around her neck. A hammer was found next to her.

Urrugne is in the French part of the Basque country, close to the border with Spain.

Odil de Coral, the mayor, said the community was shocked by the deaths.

"I went to the house straight away to offer my support to the brother (of Mr Ortuzar) and the nephews of the victims, who have also made Urrugne their second home," he said. "Jon and Carlotta came very often to the Basque country, where they bought this house just after the war."

Mr Ortuzar was born in London to a family of Basque nationalists who had fled Franco's regime in Spain, and while he and his wife lived predominantly in Madrid, he retained his British nationality. He also worked in the City of London for some time.

Police found no evidence of a struggle at the house and nothing appeared to have been stolen, leading them to the murder-suicide theory.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said they had not been informed of the deaths, but added that this was often the case where people had dual nationality.