A Ringwood town councillor who liked nothing better than souping-up cars in his spare time died aged 66 in the arms of his sister and brother-in-law on Christmas Day.

Fay and Edward Carroll returned from their home in Portugal to look after Cllr Nigel Clarke during the last few weeks of his life. He had been suffering from a rare lung disorder.

“He asked us if we would come back and look after him because he got a bit frightened. He died in our arms, which was nice,” said Mrs Carroll.

Divorced, Cllr Clarke had been a chartered surveyor with Bournemouth borough council until retirement. He also served as a Hampshire county councillor for four years.

Ringwood mayor Cllr Christine Ford described him as “an exemplary councillor”.

“He was an exceptional chairman of our planning committee and understood that whilst the character of the town should be maintained, this should not be at the expense of stifling progress.

“We will sorely miss him.”

County council leader Cllr Ken Thornber, said that Councillor Clarke had played a “significant role” on environmental matters.

“He was professional to his fingertips, he had extensive experience of planning matters and he would in my view gone on to chairmanship of our environmental select committee.

“Our thoughts go out to his sister and his relatives at this sad time.”

The funeral will be at Bournemouth Crematorium next Thursday, January 13, at 2pm.