A man found shot dead alongside his female partner was a retired police inspector of 30 years' service, a detective has said.

The pair – named by neighbours as Bill Dowling and his partner, known as Vicky – were found dead at a property in Devizes, Wiltshire, on Saturday after neighbours alerted the police having heard gunshots. Police confirmed they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

Neighbours described their shock, with one recalling how Mr Dowling had an interest in shooting pheasants. The man, who asked not to be named, said he believed Mr Dowling had a firearms licence.

He said: "I'd seen him load what looked like a big gun case into his car a few times. I think he went pheasant shooting.

"It was a big gun – it looked like it could've been a shotgun or something."

The man added: "It just doesn't make sense. They were a lovely couple, and he had recently spent a lot of money doing up the house."

Detective Chief Inspector Ian Saunders said the bodies were discovered inside the porch on the Moonrakers estate. "The investigation has so far identified that yesterday morning some neighbours overheard a number of gunshots from the address," he said. "The investigation continues to try and establish what led to this tragic incident."

It is understood police were called after a neighbour made the grim discovery, when he noticed blood splattered on a road-facing ground-floor window.