One person was killed yesterday when a light aircraft crashed in a village and narrowly missed a row of houses.

Emergency services went to the scene at Aldham near Hadleigh, Suffolk, after reports at around 11.20am that a plane had crashed into a tree and become submerged in a pond. Police said the aircraft caught fire on its descent.

Dennis Hill, who owns a property near the crash site, said the plane narrowly missed his house and several others as it plunged to the ground. He said: "The plane flew across the fields and into the tree, before falling into the pond."

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch confirmed it had sent a team to investigate the accident, which happened near Aldham Street, a short distance from Elmsett Airfield.