Three pensioners were killed on the same day in frenzied attacks, inquest hearings have been told.

The details emerged as coronial proceedings opened into the deaths of 80-year-old Anthony Payne and 84-year-old identical twin brothers Dick and Roger Carter.

According to the evidence presented to the inquests, Mr Payne was attacked with a hammer.

In a separate attack on the same day, brothers Dick and Roger Carter were bludgeoned to death with a shovel.

The inquests were told that all three victims lost their lives during the course of a single day in what were described as frenzied assaults.

The hearings established the violent nature of the weapons used against the three elderly men, setting out the immediate causes of death for the official record.

At this stage, what we do not know from the initial inquest evidence are the wider circumstances or the full background that led up to the killings.

Coroners' courts open proceedings in this way to formally record identities, dates, and medical causes of death, before adjourning to allow further inquiries to run their course.

No further details regarding the wider investigation were disclosed during the opening evidence presented at the hearings.

As these proceedings move forward, the legal process will examine the full timeline and evidence surrounding how all three men came by their deaths.

I'll be following this one closely as the formal inquest process continues — check back for updates.