Tributes have poured in for a much-loved local councillor who was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident.

Ian Nottage, a member of Uckfield town and Wealden district councils, died shortly after 10am on Tuesday when his motorbike was in a collision with a fire brigade Land Rover at the Little Horsted roundabout on the A26 near Uckfield.

His wife Karen and their three young sons, aged ten, nine and six, are at home with his older brother and his parents, who have come from Guildford. He also has a younger brother.

Karen said: "I'm devastated. I still keep expecting him to pull up on the motorbike outside, but he won't.

"He was my best friend - we are going to miss him terribly.

"He was a friendly guy with a great sense of humour. At times he could be eccentric, he always used to wear his hat but kept losing it in different places."

Friends and colleagues have described the father-of-three, 42, as a family man who worked hard to balance a full-time job with his council commitments.

Friend Martha Whittle said: "He was the funniest man I have ever known, he could make everybody laugh. He took a very roguish view about things but was never unkind.

She added: "He was very dedicated, as a councillor he really cared about the people he represented."

Mr Nottage worked for the NHS as an information manager at the Western Sussex Primary Care Trust in Chichester. He commuted to work by motorbike from his home in Selby Rise, Uckfield. Fellow town councillors fondly recalled him arriving at evening meetings dressed in his bikers' leathers, carrying his crash helmet.

Laura Murphy, who served with Mr Nottage as a district councillor, said: "Ian was a rare person in today's world. A young man with a growing family and a demanding career, he still managed to find the time in his busy life to represent his community."

Dorothy Sparks, who also worked alongside Mr Nottage on Uckfield town council, said Uckfield had lost one of the best councillors it had ever had. He worked tirelessly for the residents of his New Town ward since he was elected in 2001.

Mr Nottage was a well-liked figure, affectionately known by some as "Pat the Hat" because of the wide-rimmed leather hat he wore as he canvassed for the Liberal Democrat party.

He was fond of real ale and was a member of Camra, the campaign for real ale.

Town councillor Ian Smith, a Labour party member, said he had always enjoyed debates with Mr Nottage, who maintained good humour even when political opinions clashed.

Mr Smith said: "He still found time to be completely devoted to his family. It's an absolutely tragic loss."

The Land Rover, based at Hove Fire Station, was on its way to a training exercise at Bewl Water, near Wadhurst, when the collision occurred.

The driver, the only person in the vehicle, suffered shock but was uninjured.

The road was closed while the vehicles were recovered and there were long tailbacks. A police investigation is underway.