A FARMER from the Okehampton area has died after being pinned down by his own tractor.

The 54-year-old man, named locally as Kevin Vallance, was driving on an unclassified road between Chilla and Chilla Chapel Cross, near Halwill Junction at around 5.50pm on Sunday, May 12.

Police say his tractor, towing an unladen trailer, mounted a verge to its nearside. The nearside wheels dropped into a drainage gully between the verge and the hedge.

The driver was ejected from the vehicle and became pinned down by the tractor. He was released by local residents, who began first aid procedures, including CPR.

He was airlifted to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, where he later died.

The Rev Stephen Cook, team rector at Okehampton's All Saints Church, said: 'It is a terrible tragedy. There is a very close farming community here and people will feel the loss very deeply.

'The family are in everybody's thoughts and prayers.'

The scene was dealt with by police and officers from the Serious Collisions Investigation Unit.

Police are appealing for any witnesses who may have seen the tractor travelling in the area prior to the accident to contact them on 101, quoting log number 583/12052013.