A HORSE-LED procession drew up outside a church today.

Mourners gathered at St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Portland Road, Hove, at about noon and people were seen on the street outside.

The horse-led procession with cars decorated with Irish flags lined up along Tamworth Road.

The Argus:

Other cars sporting flags and flowers were parked in Portland Road as the large group of mourners waited for the procession to leave.

About 100-150 people were near the church at that time.

The hearse, drawn by four horses emblazoned with Irish flags, turned left and headed eastbound along Portland Road at about 12.20pm.

Mourners were pictured kissing and touching the hearse, which had flowers arranged in the shape of "Daddy", as the procession marched along the road.

Residents filmed on their phones as music rang out in the street.

The Argus:

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: "We were made aware of a travellers’ funeral taking place today in Hove.

"Officers had prior engagement with the family of the deceased, the funeral directors and the church to ensure all measures were taken to ensure they were compliant with Covid restrictions and a route was confirmed for the cortege.

"At 12.20pm officers and PCSOs attended Portland Road following reports of a large number of people and parked vehicles at the location restricting traffic flow.

"The people quickly returned to their cars and left the location."

Hove and Portslade MP Peter Kyle issued a statement to The Argus: "There is no doubt that losing a loved one during Covid has made the grieving process almost unbearable; there can be nothing worse than not being able to share memories with friends and loved ones.

"The rules for leaving lockdown are incredibly clear: 'Funeral ceremonies must have no more than 30 people attending, whether indoors or outdoor' and this is in place to ensure that the sacrifices we've all made over the last 12 months aren't lost.

"We are so close to emerging from a very difficult winter lockdown. I urge everyone in our city to remain observant of the rules so that we can regain our freedoms again."