A millionaire businessman was found shot dead in a village near Wolverhampton and his partner discovered with gunshot wounds at a country house nearby.

Villagers today named the dead man as Howard Worthington. The injured woman was named as Julie Rees.

Click here to see more pictures from the scene.

Police called to the scene found Mrs Rees with serious gunshot wounds inside the £900,000 house in Brewood and later found the body of Mr Worthington in a field. Mr Worthington, aged 52, was a former boss of EWS Manufacturing Ltd in Headway Road, Bushbury, Wolverhampton. Ms Rees, 47, runs an upmarket catering company based at their home in Hyde Mill Lane.

Mrs Rees was today in a serious condition in the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Stoke-on-Trent.

Teams of armed police sealed off all roads leading to the lane after the discoveries at around 7pm yesterday while detectives tried to piece together the couple’s final movements.

An officer also stood guard at a sealed-off alleyway in Dean Street, close to The Admiral Rodney pub, to stop people cutting through to fields.

Faye Casey, a spokeswoman for Staffordshire Police, said: “A firearm was recovered at the scene by officers and will be examined later. We can confirm we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident.”

Mr Worthington was chairman of Codsall Wood Flower Show in 2003. He renovated a £1.25 million house in the village before moving to Telford and then Brewood.

News of the shootings has sent a shockwave through the area.

Landlady Ann Leatherdale, of the Swan pub, said: “Everybody is totally shocked and just wanted to know what had happened. It is usually such a quiet place.”

Mac Roberts, a 53-year-old engineer from Sheila Avenue in Wednesfield, said: “We got diverted all over the place, police were everywhere. It’s usually really quiet in Brewood so everybody is talking about this.”

John Boate, aged 50 and of School Road, Brewood, added: “The helicopter was over my house for what seemed like ages.

“The house that people are saying it has happened at is lovely and the people have only lived there for a couple of years.”

One woman out walking her dog, who did not want to be named, said: “This is just tragic. You see it on soaps like Emmerdale or think of it happening in cities like Wolverhampton, not Brewood at all. It’s just awful and so sad.”

Wolverhampton businesswoman Kate Copestake’s company had recently produced the website for Julie Rees Creative Catering company.

“This is just an awful tragedy,” she said.

Laurel Pidgeon, of Brewood, said: “I heard about it this morning on the news. I just couldn’t believe it. I wanted to scream.”

Matthew Hughes, aged 25, of Ash Grove, Brewood, works in Co-Op News Express, said: “I’ve had people coming in from 6.30am desperate to know what’s happened because they all saw the helicopter last night.”

Matthew Mallin, aged 20, of Oak Road, Brewood, works in Coopers Fine Food in Market Place. He said: “It’s totally unbelievable.”

Anyone with information should call Staffordshire Police on 0300 1234455 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.