Three people have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder after two men were shot dead in two “linked” incidents in separate villages around six miles apart.

Cambridgeshire Police said officers were first called to reports of gunshots at a property in Meridian Close, Bluntisham at just after 9pm on Wednesday.

Officers arrived to find the body of a 32-year-old man inside a property with a gunshot wound and are now treating his death as murder.

The force said that at 9.37pm police received a call from a person in Sutton, near Ely, again reporting hearing gunshots.

The body of a 57-year-old man was found at a property in The Row with gunshot wounds and his death is also being treated as murder.

The roads in Bluntisham and Sutton are around six miles apart.

Police said they were not in a position to name either victim as formal identification has not been carried out.

A 27-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman were arrested in the early hours of Thursday in Cambridge, while a 66-year-old man was arrested in the Worcester area.

All three were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.

A car that was believed to have been used by the offender, a white Peugeot 208, and a shotgun have been recovered.

The properties in Meridian Close and The Row have been cordoned off and police officers remain at the scenes.

Detective Inspector Mark Butler, from the major crime unit, said: “We have launched two linked murder investigations following the shootings of two men at separate properties in the county.

“These events will be shocking to local people and there will be understandable concerns within local communities, however, we are treating the attacks as targeted and there is no wider risk to the general public.

“There will be an increased police presence in the areas concerned today and officers and scenes of crime officers will be at the scenes throughout the day.

“Our thoughts also go out to the family and friends of the victims.

“Specially trained officers are in touch with them and they are helping our investigation.

“Detectives are now beginning inquiries into how these events unfolded and we are appealing to anyone who was in either area and saw anyone acting suspiciously or a white Peugeot 208.

“Any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could be very important to our investigation.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting Operation Scan.