Tributes have been paid to a councillor who died this week.

Kenneth Avey became a member of Epping Town Council in 2003 and was the only person to have held the office of Town Mayor twice, in 2004 and 2011.

In a statement Epping Town Council said: “Ken was passionate about Epping and was dedicated to protecting the character of the town.

“He was well known for his forthright views, particularly about planning, and was never afraid to tackle the difficult issues head on.

“He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”

The flags at Epping Hall in St John’s Road, were flown at half-mast yesterday as a mark of respect for Cllr Avey.

He was also a member of the district council, being elected as representative for Hemnall Ward in 2011.

Leader of the council Chris Whitbread, said: ‘Ken was one of the most committed councillors I have known.

“He cared passionately about Epping and it’s people and worked tirelessly on their behalf.

“He will be sadly missed by all that knew him.

“My thoughts at this time are with his family.”

Chairman of Epping Forest District Council, Tony Boyce, said: "Ken worked extremely hard for his constituents and we councillors knew that once he had an issue he would not let the subject go until he achieved his goal.

“His death is a sad loss to us all."

Epping Town Council announced Cllr Avey had died on Wednesday morning.