A man has been arrested after an eight-year-old girl was stabbed to death in a “domestic incident”, police said.

Murder detectives said she died in hospital a short time after being discovered seriously hurt at a bungalow in Brownhills, near Walsall, on Saturday night.

West Midlands Police said the man, 54, was also taken to hospital with a stab wound to the stomach.

He is in a stable condition and will be questioned “in due course” over the incident in Valley View, a residential street on the edge of the town.

Police were called to the scene at 9.15pm and on Sunday the home was being searched by forensics experts in the cordoned off, one-story dwelling.

Floral tribute at the scene
Floral tribute at the scene (Matthew Cooper/PA)

Detective Inspector Jim Colclough, from WMP’s homicide unit, said: “We are treating this as a domestic incident and are not looking for anyone else in connection with the child’s death.

“Our family liaison team are supporting the family of the little girl, who are naturally devastated by her death. Our thoughts remain with them.”

Neighbours said they were stunned at news that a child had died.

Bob Weir, who lives two doors away from the bungalow where the stabbing happened, said he had initially thought the incident was drug-related.

Mr Weir, 72, added that a middle-aged man lived at the now sealed-off property, apparently on his own.

The pensioner told reporters: “I didn’t hear until this morning what it was and I was absolutely shocked – I didn’t know the bloke who lived there and he hadn’t lived there long, maybe six months, if that.

“There were police cars both sides of the road, ambulances… all sorts. I thought it was something to do with drugs.

“I didn’t know there were any kids in there. I thought he just lived on his own. I never saw a girl or a woman there.”

Walsall child stabbing death
A police forensics officer works outside a property in Brownhills, near Walsall, where a child was discovered seriously wounded on Saturday night and died a short time later in hospital.(Matthew Cooper/PA)

Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “I only knew the guy to say hello to and I think he was married and was living there on his own.

“I didn’t hear anything before the police got here.

“It’s really sad. This is not the sort of area where you hear of anybody being stabbed.”