Staff and customers at a pub in Retford have shared their grief over the deaths of a 10-year-old girl and her father in a caravan fire on a holiday park in Ingoldmells.

Lincolnshire Police have named the victims as 48-year-old father, Lee Baker and his 10-year-old daughter Esme Baker.

They said they were ‘both from the Nottinghamshire area’.

Senior Investigating Officer, Det Insp Lee Nixon, said: We believe we might be close to arriving at a working hypothesis.  We are working hard to validate the facts available to us to be able to provide answers for the family and loved ones of those who were very tragically taken by this fire. Yet the evident intensity of the fire has made this task incredibly challenging.”

A member of Lee and Esme’s family said: “Lee and Esme were excited to be spending the first weekend of the holidays together.  We are all utterly devastated at what’s happened. This loss is incomprehensible at the moment, and we ask for people to give us space to process this utterly heartbreaking loss.”

The Ye Olde Sun Inn in Retford has shared a picture of Lee in a post on their Facebook page, saying he’ll always have a seat at the bar.

Customers also paid tribute with one writing: “My friend, my neighbour. The kindness and friendship this absolute diamond of a man showed me I will never forget. I can’t believe it. I am heartbroken.”

Another wrote: “I am going to miss you being stood outside the pub telling us they’d run out of beer every time we walked in.”

One customer posted: “I’ve only lived in Retford for two years and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to call this man a friend.”

Lincolnshire Police offer our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Lee and Esme.  Our thoughts are with them at this incredibly sad time.

A crowdfunding page has now been created https://www.gofundme.com/f/lee-esme