A former travelling showman will be laid to rest in style tomorrow.

Joe Reid will be taken to his final resting place in a Victorian hearse pulled by six black horses.

The funeral cortege, featuring two motorised hearses, five limousines and five lorries with floral tributes, will move off from Rustington for a two-hour journey along the A259 Littlehampton-to-Worthing road and the A27 to Southwick.

A service will be held at St Michael's Church, Church Lane, Southwick, before Mr Reid, 71, is buried at Southwick cemetery.

Mr Reid was born into a family of travelling showmen but later became a general dealer after meeting his wife, Fay.

They had three children, Joe, Fay and Sally, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

The horses are being transported from London for the funeral, which up to 400 people are expected to attend.

Mr Reid was a Billingshurst man but spent his last years in Rustington. The service is being held in Southwick because so many of his relations live in that area.

Mr Reid was a great bingo player, attending clubs in Worthing, Crawley and Brighton.