ON The Buses actor Reg Varney died yesterday, his daughter said.

The actor (pictured) died following a short illness in a nursing home in Budleigh Salterton, at the age of 92.

His daughter, Jeanne Marley, 59, said he died 'peacefully' just before 2pm.

Varney, who played main character Stan Butler in the 1970s sitcom, was born in London's East End but had lived in Devon for the past 20 years. He previously lived in Stoke Fleming, near Dartmouth.

He had a number of roles in different TV shows before achieving fame in his role in On The Buses, which began in 1969 and ran for seven series.

Afterwards, Varney took on a number of film roles although it was On The Buses that he continued to be most recognised for.

Mrs Marley said he had only recently been admitted to the nursing home, suffering from a chest infection. She said: "He's always been very young for his age, when he was in On The Buses he was playing a 35 year old, but he was actually 50."

Varney, who had lived alone since his wife Lilian died in 2002, is survived by his daughter, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

His funeral has yet to be arranged.

A 42-YEAR-OLD man has been found dead, hanging at his Paignton home.

His body was found by a family member, believed to be his sister-in-law, in the stairwell of the hallway of a property in Maidenway Road yesterday morning.

Police were alerted at 11.40am and a spokesman said: "We are not looking at any other circumstances other than a tragic suicide."

The man is yet to be formally identified and last night police were in the process of informing family members who live elsewhere in the country.

The body was taken to the mortuary at Torbay Hospital.

TWO cars collided outside Woodlands Leisure Park in Blackawton on Saturday morning.

Two fire crews from Dartmouth were called out at 11.14am to the accident because they thought passengers from both cars were trapped inside.

But when they arrived they found all of the people were clear of the wreckage.

A FORKLIFT truck's industrial battery charger caught fire on Saturday afternoon at a Brixham industrial estate.

Two crews from the town's fire station attended the blaze at Metherell Avenue.

A CAR collided with the central reservation of the south-bound A38 between Drumbridges and Goodstone Cross on Saturday morning.

Two fire crews from Bovey Tracey and one from Newton Abbot attended the scene and found all of the passengers were out of the damaged car when they arrived. Police and ambulance also attended.