Family tell of 'indescribable' loss of woman killed in Costa coffee shop crash

The family of a woman killed when a car crashed into a coffee shop on Christmas Eve have said their loss is "indescribable".

Valerie Deakin, 74, was enjoying a drink with her eldest daughter and best friend when an Audi crashed into the Costa cafe's front in Westerham, near Sevenoaks in Kent, relatives said.

Married for 50 years, the "hard-working" mother-of-two, who lived in the village of Udimore, near Rye, East Sussex, died at the scene.

In a statement issued through Kent Police, her family said: "The shock and loss are indescribable. Modest, kind, exceedingly hard-working and above all caring, she loved all creatures, great and small, with a passion. We adored her. Rest in peace."

Two men and two women who were injured in the crash were taken to hospitals in London and Farnborough. Another woman was taken to Pembury Hospital with minor injuries.

One witness described the carnage as looking like "a bomb had gone off".

Officers from Kent Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit renewed their appeal for information about the incident, and asked witnesses to call 01622 798538.