A MOTHER of four has been stabbed to death in Honley.

Theresa Ann Simpson, 35, died in hospital hours after an incident at her home.

She is the mother of four young children.

And in a dramatic swoop in Marsden, armed police arrested a man suspected of involvement in the death just before lunchtime on Saturday.

Dozens of shocked shoppers and tourists, including a German folk band who filmed the arrest, took cover behind parked cars as officers carrying sub-machine guns tackled the 33-year-old in Peel Street.

The man, who has been charged with murder, was due to appear at Huddersfield Magistrates' Court today.

People were stunned by news of Mrs Simpson's death.

Ambulance crews and police were called to her home in Roundway just before 8.20am on Saturday.

She was taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary where she was pronounced dead.

Shocked residents woke up to the news as detectives cordoned off the house for forensic tests.

Villagers said the woman and her partner had lived quietly at the address for about three years with her four children.

Mrs Simpson has two boys aged 16 and 11, and two girls aged 15 and 13.

Mrs Simpson was divorced and her family live in Huddersfield area.

One 35-year-old woman neighbour heard screams.

She said: "On Saturday, at about 8am, we heard noises and screaming.

"I was in the kitchen and heard some noise and opened my door. I heard a man's voice and kids' voices, raised voices."

The neighbour said she then saw the eldest daughter walking up and down the street saying her mother had been stabbed.

She described the family as normal. "We just can't believe it. They were no bother, really," she said.

One 61-year-old male neighbour said they were an ordinary couple. "They used to go to the local pub and have a few beers," he said.

German band member Achim Thiel, 45, later filmed the dramatic arrest.

"We saw the machine guns. I couldn't believe what was going on," he said.

Jeff Collins, a fellow member of the band, is British but has lived in Germany for 24 years.

He told how their sight- seeing tour took a serious turn.

"All of a sudden six police cars turned up. We thought there had been an accident.

"They all ran with their machine guns to a phone box and there was a bloke in there phoning up."

Police surrounded the suspect and bundled him into a waiting police car.