A couple found dead in a swimming pool at a luxury hotel could have drowned after a failed rescue attempt, according to police.
A man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s were found underwater in a ten-metre indoor pool at Down Country House Hotel.
Provisional results from a post-mortem examination found both their deaths were consistent with drowning.
A policeman stands guard at the Down Hall Country House Hotel in Essex, where a man and a woman were discovered dead in the swimming pool on Saturday night
The pair, a man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s, were discovered by a guest at about 7.30pm. Their deaths are so far 'unexplained' by police
A picture posted to Twitter by a hotel guest showed the cordoned off swimming pool today
Officers are investigating the possibility that they died after one swimmer ran into trouble and the other one tried to rescue them.
Detectives are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths, but have described them as ‘very unusual’.
They have ordered toxicology tests to see if the couple had been drinking or taking drugs.
The couple, both in swimsuits, were pulled from the pool by hotel staff on Saturday night.
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Emergency services were called to the hotel in Hatfield Heath, Essex, but they were both pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers initially thought the pair came from London and were staying together at the hotel.
However, last night police were still unsure if they had been in a relationship.
They are expected to be named this afternoon when the coroner opens an inquest into their deaths.
A police spokesman said: ‘Detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances leading up to their deaths.
‘But they are treating them as non-suspicious.’
It was later revealed that investigators did not believe they had been poisoned by gas or chemicals.
The incident has not been referred to the Health and Safety Executive, which investigates concerns over faulty equipment or safety practices.
The hotel is situated in more than 100 acres of woodland
Hotel manager Chris Falcus said: ‘We wish to reiterate our condolences to the friends and families of the lady and gentleman concerned.
‘Both myself and the team at the hotel are deeply upset by what has happened.
‘The results of the post mortem examination have concluded that the deaths of the two people were consistent with drowning.
‘This puts an end to any inappropriate speculation about our hotel’s facilities.’ Guests at a luxury hotel earlier told how they thought investigating police were part of a murder mystery party.
The hotel regularly hosts murder mystery weekends and some guests reportedly believed that the arrival of police was part of the package.
Jo Carter, 49, and Frankie Heritage, 56, checked in yesterday afternoon for their first ever murder mystery and believed the whole crime scene had been staged.
Miss Carter, a personal assistant from Brentwood, Essex, said: 'We just thought it was all part of the build-up.
'We have never done a murder mystery before so we just thought they’d gone to a lot of expense.
'It all just seemed to be part of the weekend with a policemen and a van at the gate.
'It was only when we spoke to him (the police officer) and he explained that it would be much too expensive to stage with real police cars that we realised.'
Mr Heritage, a builder from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, added: 'It is absolutely terrible what has happened as that’s someone’s daughter and son.
'Last night we still had dinner but the murder mystery didn’t take place.
'All the guests were talking over dinner about how it could have happened as it is a real life mystery.'
The hotel, on the Hertfordshire border, is a popular wedding venue. Jade Goody tied the knot there in 2009
The couple say that guests expecting to attend last weekend’s cancelled event have been offered a free murder mystery at the hotel at some point in the future.
The emergency services were called to the country house hotel in Hatfield Heath, on the border of Essex and Hertfordshire, at 7.35pm on Saturday.
The air ambulance helicopter was summoned to the 110-acre estate, but paramedics could not resuscitate the man and woman.
Police said the pair from London checked in at the £150-a-night hotel together, but could not confirm if they were a couple.
The ten-metre pool was open to hotel guests but was unsupervised. Another guest said she had used the pool just 30 minutes before the bodies were discovered.
Essex Police interviewed guests from the two wedding parties on Saturday.
Lucy Sparks, 21, from Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, was at one of the wedding receptions when police arrived at the hotel. She said: ‘We saw two police officers rush through reception with a member of staff. There were about five or six police cars outside and we saw the air ambulance land.
‘The hotel just pulled a curtain to separate us and the party still went on as normal.’
Yesterday detectives said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths, which they are treating as ‘unexplained’.
Chief Inspector Nick Lee said his officers had found two people ‘submersed’ in the pool.
Jade Goody and Jack Tweed on their wedding day at the hotel in 2009
He added: ‘Despite a valiant attempt from the hotel staff and ambulance service, unfortunately it was not possible to revive those individuals and they were pronounced dead at the scene.
‘Next of kin have been informed about this tragic incident and I can tell you at the moment Essex Police are not looking for any other people in connection with this investigation.’
Police ordered toxicology tests to check if the pair had been drinking, although a senior officer said the tests were a routine part of the investigation.
Down Hall Hotel is a popular wedding venue. It was used by Big Brother star Jade Goody when she married Jack Tweed.
The estate dates back to 1322. The house itself is a 16th Century Italianate mansion where a silk mill owner and a Victorian member of Parliament once lived.
It was used as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers in the First World War and was turned into a hotel in the 1980s.
Hotel manager Chris Falcus said: ‘We are all devastated by the tragic incident and our thoughts are with the family and friends of those concerned.’