A POPULAR and respected city solicitor has died after a routine knee operation.

Jo Lockyer, senior partner at Gardner & Croft, fell seriously ill shortly after arriving at his holiday home in France where he planned to convalesce from the surgery.

The 56-year-old, who lived at Adisham, near Canterbury, died last Thursday after battling against an infection in a French hospital for two months.

Colleagues at the legal firm in Canterbury where he worked for more than 30 years say they are deeply saddened by his death.

Managing partner Peer Le Fleming said: "He was a leading light in the profession who lived life to the full and will be sorely missed."

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