A horse pulling a funeral carriage collapsed and died in the street.

The horse was pulling a carriage of grieving relatives in High Street, Uckfield, when it died.

Sussex Police were called to the scene at 1.45pm on Wednesday and closed the road for around an hour, causing traffic build-up and delayed buses.

Charlie Field, from Fuller and Scott Funeral Directors, said the horse was a fit seven-year-old animal that had never displayed any signs of health problems.

The horse was reported to have been checked prior to leaving the stables for the funeral and again prior to being harnessed, but gave no indication that it was unwell.

A spokeswoman from the RSPCA said: "This sounds like a tragic incident and one that would have caused further distress on an already upsetting day.

“Our thoughts are with the family and other mourners.”