A trucker was given the perfect send-off on Wednesday (Jan 16) as his coffin was carried to Brighton’s Downs Crematorium on a wagon driven by his brother.

Kevin Dawkins, an avid trucker, died of cancer at the age of 52 on New Year’s Eve.

One of his last wishes was for his brother, Keith, to drive his body to the service in a truck.

The brothers worked together as heavy goods vehicle drivers for MDJ Light Brothers, Lewes, a waste management company specialising in recycling.

Keith said: “To be able to do that today – I feel very, very proud.

“Me and my brother have been driving lorries for more than 20 years and we always said to each other that if anything should happen to either one of us then we would like to be taken on a lorry.

“With what happened with Kevin, the company were very accommodating and we were able to do it. I feel very proud today.” Keith drove the Volvo truck to the crematorium with a long procession in tow and his brother’s coffin on the back of the wagon in a clear container.

Danny Power, manager of MDJ Light Brothers Ltd, said: “Kevin was a dedicated, professional, truly excellent trucker with a quiet ‘get on with it’ attitude and a great sense of humour who will be sadly missed by us all.”