TRIBUTES have been paid to a legendary tramp who died after he was found lying in a town centre road.

Well-known Kevin Chapman, 49, affectionately nicknamed "Mad Kev", died on Saturday after he was discovered lying outside the Orchards Shopping Centre in Dartford.

He was found alive by an off-duty police community support officer at about 6am and was deemed well enough to be taken home by police after paramedics assessed him.

During the short journey, he became unwell and officers used CPR and took him to Darent Valley Hospital where, after unsuccessful treatment, he was pronounced dead at 7.50am.

It is believed he died of hypothermia as temperatures dropped to just below freezing last Friday night.

Mr Chapman was well known throughout Dartford and even had his own page on internet networking site MySpace, and is referenced in the entry for Dartford on internet encyclopaedia site Wikipedia.

George Evans, 62, partner at All Night Car Hire, in Hythe Street, said he often bumped into the likeable character.

He said: “I spoke to him every day for about the last 10 years. He used to come by every morning at about 6am and clear away the shopping trolleys from outside...so our taxis could pull up. He never asked me for any money for doing it and he never begged from anyone else. He was no trouble.”

It is thought Mr Chapman had a flat of his own in Temple Hill, but simply chose to live and sleep on the streets.

Mr Evans added: “He just chose that way of life – it was what he wanted. He used to sit on the bench opposite us.

“He was quite a character.”

Pippa Horton, the Orchard Theatre press and publicity officer, said: “He will be missed around Dartford.”

The circumstances of his death were initially referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), but it has since said it will not be investigating the matter.

South-East Coastal Ambulance Service is unable to say whether it would be conducting its own investigation into the incident.

An inquest into the death was due to be opened yesterday.

Read the full story in this week’s Dartford Messenger.