One dead in light aircraft crash

A man has died after the light aircraft he was flying crashed into a field in North Somerset.

The man had just taken off from a small landing strip on a nearby farm when he apparently got into difficulties.

His plane was seen to struggle before hitting powerlines and coming down at Naish Hill near Clapton-in-Gordano.

The pilot, who has not been named but was in his 70s, was pronounced dead at the scene. It is understood his wife saw the accident happen.

Emergency services were called to the field at 1245 BST.

Some buildings nearby lost power for a time because of the damage to the elctricity lines.

The crash site will be examined by officials from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.