The family of a retired policeman who died when he was trapped beneath his own car have spoken of their shock.

Alan Cripps, 77, is thought to have got out of the Renault to open his garage door at the rear of his house when the car, with his wife still inside, rolled down a slope and into him.

Firefighters battled to free the former parish councillor, but he was declared dead at the scene in Wingham.

The accident happened in Petts Lane, behind Mr Cripps’s home in Wingham High Street, shortly before noon on Tuesday.

Mr Cripps and his wife, Clarrie, are believed to have been returning home from an appointment.

His brother, David Cripps, said: “This has come as a great shock to all the family.

“You really don’t expect something like it because it appears to be a freak accident.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet.

“I think they are also investigating whether Alan might have suffered a heart attack, but we won’t know until after a postmortem.”

After retiring from Kent Police, Mr Cripps ran an antiques shop opposite his house with Clarrie for many years, and served on the parish council for four years.

Clarrie was Mr Cripps’s second wife, and he had a son and daughter from his first marriage.

David, 72, a retired merchant sea captain who lives in Leicester, added: “Alan was one of four brothers who grew up in Bedford.

“He was quite an outspoken character.”

Mr Cripps served a four-year term on the parish council in the late 1990s, and current chairman Bryan Curtis said he was known to hold firm opinions.

He added: “I didn’t know him that well because I joined after he left, but we would sometimes chat when I bumped into him in the village.

“But both he and Clarrie were keen on supporting village life, and he was something of a character.”

“But both he and Clarrie were keen on supporting village life, and he was something of a character” - parish council chairman Bryan Curtis

Police, fire crews, paramedics and an air ambulance were called to Wingham following reports of the tragedy.

An appeal has now been launched for witnesses who may have seen what happened.

Insp Martin Stevens said: “The incident took place on a sloping driveway behind the man’s house.

“We believe he got out of his car and became trapped underneath the vehicle.

“We will be investigating the incident, but at this stage we are treating it as a tragic accident.”

Anyone who saw the incident or the events leading up to it is asked to call the police’s appeal line on 01622 798538 or to email the unit at sciu.td@kent.pnn.police.uk