Colin Welland: Oscar-winning writer and actor dies aged 81

Video report by ITV News Reporter Peter Smith

Oscar-winning writer and actor Colin Welland has died aged 81 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years, his family has announced.

Welland, a Lancashire-born father-of-four who acted in everything from Kes to Z Cars, won his Academy Award for the screenplay of Chariots of Fire in 1982.

His family said in a statement that he had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for several years but died peacefully in his sleep.

In his Oscar winning acceptance speech he said: "I'd like to finish with a word of warning. You may have started something. The British are coming!"

The famous quotation he used as he accepted an award for Best Original Screenplay for the film at the Academy Awards is attributed to US revolutionary war hero Paul Revere.

His writing credits also include Yanks (1979), which starred Vanessa Redgrave and Richard Gere, and the screenplay for Twice in a Lifetime (1985).

Aswell as screenwriting, Welland had an acting career, appearing as PC David Graham in BBC series Z-Cars and as a villain in The Sweeney.

He also starred the films Kes in 1969 and Sweeney! in 1977.

Born Colin Williams in Lancashire, he considered Liverpool his home town