A former Fen man who shot dead his wife and daughter before turning the gun on himself did not have a firearms certificate.

Lincolnshire Police confirmed Lance Hart also did not have a shotgun licence and they are now looking at where the weapon he used to kill Claire, 50, and their daughter Charlotte, 19, came from.

Friends have spoken of their shock at the tragedy, which happened outside a swimming pool in Spalding on Tuesday morning.

Mr Hart was brought up and went to school in March before moving to Wisbech St Mary and then on to Lincolnshire with his wife and children.

Friends say they remember the 57-year-old father of three as being 'one of the funniest men you could meet' and are finding it hard to believe what has happened.

Reports say the couple had recently separated and Mr Hart was struggling to come to terms with it.

They leave two sons Ryan, 25, and Luke, 26.

A friend who knew him from his teenage years and early 20s when he lived in March, said he was: 'One of the funniest guys you will ever meet.

'It is one of those times you read something then have to stop to take it in, mainly because you would not put him to something like this.'

A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said: 'A situation such as this for a small community like Spalding is hard to comprehend.

'We are working alongside colleagues from the East Midlands Major Crime Team in order to provide answers around what has happened.

'Along with South Holland District Council and the British Red Cross we will be providing support to anyone adversely affected by this tragedy.'