POLICE have released a picture of the couple killed when their helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from a luxury hotel.

Paul Spencer, 43, and his wife Linda, 59, are believed to have been killed instantly when their black Gazelle helicopter came down in trees in the grounds of Rudding Park Hotel near Harrogate at 4.30pm on Saturday.

Mr Spencer was piloting the aircraft and it is believed he had only recently bought the machine.

Air accident investigators and members of the armed forces have been examining the wreckage of the helicopter in an effort to determine the cause of the crash.

Weather forecasters say the strong winds had died down by 4.30pm but there were still gusts.

Mr and Mrs Spencer, who lived in Brighouse in West Yorkshire, ran the wholesalers Country Baskets which employs 100 people nationwide.

A post mortem on the couple was due to be conducted today.