MOVING tributes were today paid to a tragic cop killed in a head-on horror road smash with a lorry.

 

Inspector John Woods, 42, died almost instantly when his car was involved in the collision on a busy Ayrshire road.

Friends told how the highly regarded officer's three young children have been left devastated by the tragedy.

John, from Elderslie, was described as a "lovely man" and a "devoted dad".

The Glasgow-based officer was travelling on the A736 at Lugton at around 2pm on Tuesday when his Kia car was involved in a crash with the lorry.

Police said the 54-year-old lorry driver was not injured and investigations are continuing.

One friend, from his hometown of Irvine, in Ayrshire, said: "John was a great, big guy, none of us can believe what's happened.

"He was a lovely man, always has been. He was devoted to his three boys.

"Everyone is just devastated."

Most recently John worked in the control room in Helen Street Station, where he would deploy officers in response to 999 calls.

In a statement, his family said: "John was highly respected by all his colleagues and will be sadly missed by all who knew and worked with him."

John, who was also trained as a teacher, worked at stations across Glasgow and the West, including Barrhead, Aikenhead Road and Pitt Street.

Another friend added: "I have known John since he was a wee boy and I cannot take it in that this has happened.

"Thinking of his dad, brother and sister, and all other family members."

Ice hockey fanatic John is understood to have grown up in Irvine before moving to Renfrewshire.

Officials at the Scottish Police Federation said his sudden death was "devastating" and offered condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

Many of John's colleagues changed their social media profile pictures to the iconic thin blue line on a black background, as a mark of respect.

One wrote: "We'll all miss your cheeky smile."

Police Scotland confirmed that John was a serving officer.

He was not on duty at the time of the crash.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "The deceased can be named as John Woods.

"John was a father to three children and we can confirm he was a serving police officer."