Neighbour Violet Looms said people living near Bob and Debbie Fry , who drowned attempting to save their young children from drowning in Portugal, is in mourning.

Mr and Mrs Fry died after attempting to save their children, Rosie, 11, and George, nine, after they got into difficulty in waters in the Algarve.

Mrs Fry's friend, Jean Dinsmore, of Coxstalls, was also swept away as she attempted to help.

Mrs Looms, 87, who lives just a few doors away from the Fry's family home, on Springfield Crescent, said the entire road was in mourning.

"It is so very sad," she said. "They were very nice people and you never heard anything bad about them.

"By all accounts, they were a very devoted family and it is so tragic, especially with the children left behind with no mum or dad.

"Everybody is very upset. Some people have known them for years and it must be dreadful for them."

Mrs Looms said she was shocked to hear there were no lifeguards on the beach at the time of the incident.

Neighbour Fiona Shaw added: "They were the sort of people you really wanted as a neighbour - their house was always open.

"It was a complete shock, as this sort of news always is - you never really expect it."

Alison Muir, of Springfield Crescent, said: "They were just such a lovely family. It is an awful shock and such a tragedy. I wish there had been lifeguards on the beach.

"I just feel really sad about it and I could only ever say really nice things about them. As a neighbour, they were one of the best you could hope for."

A friend of Mr Fry, who wishes to remain anonymous, but had known him from when he was a child, added: "He was just a very nice man. His grandparents and parents had lived up here as well in the past.

"He was just so popular. He was a very nice man and always very helpful."

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