The estate in southwest London where drug dealing is said to be rife

A father was murdered after challenging a group of drug dealers outside his home because he was worried about his children, his family have said.

Ian Tomlin, 46, was found in a pool of blood in a stairwell of a housing estate in Battersea, southwest London, where he had lived for 20 years.

Witnesses saw a gang of about seven young men set upon the trained boxer on Wednesday evening after he had taken issue with drug users and dealers. No arrests had been made last night in connection with the death of Mr Tomlin, a driver for Wandsworth council.

His father, Cecil Tomlin, 84, a retired bus driver, said: “The first floor is used for drug dealing. Police know it happens every single day.