Murder squad detectives are still waiting to question an 80-year-old man arrested on suspicion of killing his wife.

Clem Callaghan was taken to Airedale Hospital on Saturday night after being found unconscious at the wheel of his car following an apparent suicide attempt.

The next morning police discovered the body of his 76-year-old wife Eileen at the couple’s home in Ivy Bank Lane, Haworth.

Officers heading the murder inquiry said yesterday that Mr Callaghan’s condition had improved but he was still not well enough to be interviewed.

Tests are continuing in an attempt to determine the exact cause of his wife’s death.

Friends of the couple this week spoke of their shock at what had happened.

Some feared that Mrs Callaghan may have been suffering from an illness.

Her husband, who was found in his car at Keighley Road, Colne, is a member of the Royal British Legion and is well-known in Haworth for his community involvement.

Gardener Steve Thorpe, whose family know the couple, worked with Mr Callaghan on a project to plant flowers and put fencing around the village war memorial.

He said: “I have known him all my life because his wife was born on the same day as my mum, so they grew up together and always knew each other.

“They were not the kind of couple that fell out. They were just a lovely couple.

“I don’t know whether she was ill but I can’t think of any other reason this might have happened.”

Mr Thorpe described Mr Callaghan as a village character, who loved his wife and their three collie dogs.

Mr Callaghan and his friends are nicknamed the Last Of The Summer Wine group – after the sitcom – because they met to chat outside the Haworth Spar shop in Station Road every day, half an hour before it opened.

The couple also took other elderly people away on day trips to the Lakes and elsewhere.

Mr Thorpe and Mr Callaghan had both been involved with clearing away rubbish from the war memorial, planting flowers and preparing it for the annual Remembrance Day service.

He said: “Clem went with a sweeping brush every morning to sweep the memorial. He used to take real pride in it, and when Haworth entered Yorkshire In Bloom he came to meet the judges.

“He’s a really firm believer in keeping the cenotaph clean and respecting the soldiers with wreaths and poppies. He’s the sort of person you really want in the village.”

Local parish council vice-chairman Councillor Peter Hill said: “You never heard a bad word said about him.

“They both used to help out in the village in any way they could.”

The Rev Peter Mayo-Smith, of Haworth Parish Church, spoke of the village’s grief as news of the tragedy spread.

“Everybody in the village is absolutely shocked by what has happened,” he said.

Bradford councillor Glen Miller, a Conservative councillor for the Worth Valley, added: “It is very sad. I feel for their family and my condolences go to them.”

Alan Watts, a parish councillor, said: “It is such a tragedy. I was speaking to someone who said she hadn’t been right well for the past week or two, and whether she had become worse, I don’t know.”

The West Yorkshire Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team asks anyone with information to contact it through the non-emergency 101 number or phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.