Tributes to woman who died when car went in river

Lesley Lee's family said she will be "missed beyond words"

The family of an "exceptional" woman who died after her car went into a river have paid tribute to her.

They said Lesley Lee, from Roade in Northamptonshire, was "so loved, so deserving of good things and she will be missed beyond words".

Police do not know why the 77-year-old's red Fiat Panda went into the River Nene on Rushmere Road in Northampton on 23 September.

Ms Lee was described as a family-orientated lover of books who "would go on a thousand adventures as she turned the pages".

The River Nene and its old course are on either side of Rushmere Road

Ms Lee was driving from the Barnes Meadow interchange but Northamptonshire Police said it was not clear why her car went off the road.

It said the grandmother had died after her vehicle became submerged.

In a tribute issued through the police, Ms Lee's two daughters Nicola and Sarah, and partner, Steve, said she had lived in Roade all her life.

'Devastating'

“Lesley was a kind, gentle and lovely lady. She never had a bad word to say about anyone and always saw the best in people. She didn’t have the easiest of lives but she was always positive and a joy to be around," they said.

“She was healthy and looked so good for her age, we thought she’d live to 100. To lose her in this way is devastating and it feels like we have lost a part of ourselves that no one can replace.

“She was such an exceptional lady - so loved, so deserving of good things, and she will be missed beyond words.

“To lose her in this way is devastating and it feels like we have lost a part of ourselves that no one can replace."

Ms Lee and her partner were friends who lost touch but met again at Salcey Forest in the 2000s.

The family revealed how she met her partner in the 1990s and they became friends but lost touch over the years.

In the late 2000s, she wrote him a letter to let him know she was thinking of him.

"He rang her as soon as he received it, and they met up at the café in Salcey Forest - and here began their wonderful relationship.

"She turned his life around and they enjoyed many happy years together," they added.

The statement said Steve recalled "fond memories of pulling over every time they saw lambs in the fields on their countryside drives, as he knew Lesley loved to look at the ‘boingers’ as they used to refer to them".