Children's author and illustrator Jill Murphy, who created the beloved Worst Witch books, has died at the age of 72.

Murphy also published picture books including the Large family series, Peace at Last and The Last Noo-Noo.

Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, managing director of Macmillan Children's Books, said: "She had an unparalleled talent for storytelling through words and pictures.

"Without doubt, her picture books have become timeless children's classics."

Murphy wrote the first Worst Witch novel, which followed the exploits of Mildred Hubble at witch school, at the age of 18 and it was published in 1974. The eighth and most recent came out in 2018.