Cumbria: Farmer's son, with two young children, shot dead as he trimmed the hedge

Cumbria killings: Full coverage

Garry Purdham was gunned down by taxi driver Derrick Bird as he worked in a field near the village of Gosforth, local residents said.

The tragedy rocked the close-knit community, which a local pub landlord said was more used to stories about missing cats making the news.

Mr Purdham was trimming hedges with his uncle just before midday when Bird drove past, wound down his car window and blasted him, according to a neighbour.

One local, who did not want to be named, said the farmer's son was in his early 30s and had two young children.

Police have not confirmed any of the victims' names.

But Fiona Burgess, of the Lion and Lamb Hotel in the nearby village of Seascale, said Mr Purdham, son of farmer John Purdham, was shot at Low Boonwood Farm on Gosforth Hill.

A woman who answered the phone at the farm said: "There is shock and horror going on here at the moment.

"No one would be able to put two sentences together. People are trying to get through on the phone and I can't talk about this."

Rod Davies, landlord of Gosforth Hall Inn, said: "We're a very close community, it will be felt across the whole area.

"We're used to 'neighbour's cat missing' stories making the news - not this sort of thing."

He added: "There's a lot of very strong feeling of absolute shock. There's a lot of fear - a lot of people are expecting to hear names of people they know."