A horse and cart bearing the coffin of popular roadside flower seller Raymond Jones stopped in tribute near his old pitch outside a pub.

Traffic came to a standstill in Broadwater Street West, Broadwater, Worthing, as the horse was brought to a halt in the shadow of the Cricketers pub.

Earlier, hundreds of mourners packed Broadwater Parish Church for the funeral of 53-year-old Mr Jones, from Littlehampton Road, Worthing.

The family cortege was followed by three lorries carrying dozens of floral bouquets, including one featuring a flat cap and traditional Romany scarf.

Shoppers paused to watch the horse and cart, led by funeral director Ian Hart and the Reverend David Stevenson, pass by along the A24 and A27 on its way to Durrington Cemetery.

One onlooker said: "He was a lovely man, always willing to help you out."

The mourners included fellow flower sellers from Montague Street in Worthing town centre.

Mr Jones was the last in a long line of local street flower sellers with the surname Jones and his death ends 60 years of family tradition.

Mr Stevenson, vicar of St Stephen's Church, Angola Road, part of the Broadwater parish, conducted the service.

He told how Mr Jones attended Thomas A'Becket and St Andrew's schools in the town and worked for Linfield's mushroom growers before entering the family flower business run by his uncle, Bill.

Jim Sinsbury, landlord of the Cricketers, said: "He was a lovely guy, a salt of the earth type. A lot of people were quite shocked at his death because it was so sudden.

"He was quite a character, selling his flowers outside the pub in all weathers every Sunday. He will he sadly missed."