COLOURFUL former Taunton MP Sir Edward du Cann has died in Cyprus at the age of 93.

Sir Edward was MP for Taunton from 1956 -87 and lived for many years at Cothay Manor, near Wellington.

He had a host of business interests but Homes Assured, of which he was a director, crashed with £10 million debts in 1989.

He lost all his income after he was forced to give up his company posts when a complaint was made against him which was investigated by the Official Receiver.

Elected a freeman of Taunton in 1977, he was declared bankrupt in 1993.

The collapse of Homes Assured and the subsequent action against its directors hastened his descent into bankruptcy and forced the sale of Cothay Manor. He moved first to Alderney and then spent his later years in Cyprus.

Sir Edward married twice, to Sallie Innes in 1962 – they had three children but the marriage was dissolved in 1990. Later that year he married Lady Cooke, widow of Tory MP Sir Robert Cooke. She died in 1995.

His many years living near Wellington led to him having a fascination with the Duke of Wellington and he had a large collection of caricatures of the duke. The collection inspired a book containing more than 100 cartoons.