A British touring car champion from Oxfordshire is thought to be amongst people killed in a jet crash at the weekend.

Investigators will today remove the bodies of five people killed in a jet crash as they sift through wreckage to find out what caused the tragedy.

The plane crashed into a house in Farnborough, Kent, and burst into flames, but fortunately nobody on the ground was injured as the couple who lived there were away on holiday.

Those who died have not yet been formally identified but they are said to include passenger David Leslie, 54, a former British Touring Car champion driver, from Burdrop, near Hook Norton.

Pilot Mike Roberts and and Richard Lloyd, 63, the boss of Apex Motorsport, who was also a former touring car champion, were thought to be involved.

Eyewitnesses said it was a "miracle" more people had not been killed but said the pilot appeared to make a desperate bid to avoid houses in the cul-de-sac.

They described seeing panic on the faces of those inside before the twin-engined Cessna Citation I clipped a building and crashed.

According to reports, Mr Roberts, who lived in Effingham, Surrey, was director of Flight Consultancy Services, based at Biggin Hill.

His business partner Mike Wells told the Daily Mail: "There are a million and one people who would like to pay tribute to Michael. That's all I'm prepared to say."

The business flight had taken off from Biggin Hill Airport and was heading to Pau, in south west France.

It was only around five miles from Biggin Hill when the pilot put out a mayday call and it was around two miles north of the airport when it crashed.

Andrew Walters, chairman of Biggin Hill Airport, was unable to say what had caused the pilot to return and said the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) was investigating.

"They will look at all the evidence from the site and talk to everyone who saw anything," he said.

"All our air traffic control messages are recorded so they will listen to them."

Mr Walters added: "We take great pride in what happens here at the airport. It is a family and we all feel very sad about what has happened."

Shocked residents gathered in the streets nearby after the crash. The garage of a second house had been destroyed and a car parked nearby was left a charred wreck.

Christine Diamond, who lives next door to Number 5 Romsey Close where the plane crashed, said the owners Pat and Ed Harman were away on holiday.

She said Mrs Harman had gone to Madeira with her daughter and Mr Harman was on a golfing holiday in Portugal and is due back today.

She said: "They are going to be absolutely devastated by this, but I'm just so glad that they weren't inside at the time."

Mrs Harman arrived back last night and burst into tears when she saw the crashed plane and what is left of her house.

Mrs Diamond echoed the concerns of many local residents when she said: "It's a nice area around here but the only thing we don't like is being so close to Biggin Hill Airport which has seen big expansion in the past."

Floral tributes were already being laid at the scene last night. One had a card which read: "With deepest sympathies. Our hearts go out to you and your families. God bless, RIP."

Resident Gary Lynes, 42, said the crash happened about 300 yards from Darrick Wood Junior School.

He said: "It's a nightmare. I heard the engines roar, it was really loud and then I heard a massive bang and looked out to see a massive ball of black smoke."

Nurse Wendy Lyon, 42, said: "Me and my three children were in the house and we heard a bang. I thought someone had slammed the garage door hard because that's what it sounded like.

"Then my neighbours' little boy turned up at our front door and he just said 'it's a plane'. He said he heard a whistling of the plane and then a bang.

"I then shut my children in the house. We couldn't do anything to help because there was just a big ball of fire. It was just awful."

A pilot, named only as John, told Sky News he had heard a mayday call, with emergency alarms in the cockpit.

He said the pilot said he was experiencing "severe engine vibrations".

Seconds later the pilot said the plane was coming down - and the radio went dead.

Two people were taken to hospital with shock after witnessing the crash.

A police spokesman said work would begin today to remove the dead bodies and make sure that "everything's OK with the scene".

The crash site has playing fields, open land and woods nearby.