AN OXFORD author described as "a hugely talented writer" who recently had his first novel published has died.

Luke Bitmead, of Summertown, fell from a car park in Swindon on October 27. He later died of his injuries.

The 34-year-old former student at Radley College, near Abingdon, had recently been carrying out book signings across the county for his debut novel White Summer including an appearance at Waterstone's in Oxford a week before he died.

Mr Bitmead was an author and musician and played as a drummer in a band called The Space Between which performed in Oxford.

He grew up in Wiltshire and moved to Oxfordshire where he studied at Radley College before taking a degree in philosophy at Reading University.

He travelled throughout the world and lived and worked in Hong Kong, Australia and Uruguay and spent long periods in South East Asia. Before his book was published he had worked in video and record shops, as an electrician, a roofer, a TEFL teacher and a forecourt attendant.

His novel White Summer was published earlier this year by Legend Press.

It was billed as a "fast-paced and vibrant comedy" and best-selling author and book reviewer Deborah Wright described it as "Great Stuff. Wonderfully witty and sexy".

Mr Bitmead's family will use all royalties from the sale of the novel to award bursaries for fledgling writers.

His father said: "He was a treasured son and brother who will be greatly missed by all those lives he touched."

Publisher Tom Chalmers said: "He was a hugely talented writer. He was a person full of energy and humour and made friends whereever he went."

Mr Bitmead was living in Oxford working on several sequels to White Summer and setting up an independent film production company called Triple Threat Films before he died.

He was also writing a novel in which the hotel room was the narrator.

Police do not believe the death was suspicious but are investigating how he fell from the car park.

The funeral will take place at Southrop Village Church today at 1.30pm and donations can be made to the Luke Bitmead Memorial Fund.