Hundreds of mourners from across the country gathered today to bid farewell to a hero firefighter and his younger brother who were killed in a blaze at their family home.

The double funeral of Alex and Phil Kent took place at All Saints Church in Crowborough.

Among the mourners were Alex's colleagues from Crowborough fire station who had dragged his body from the fire.

Roads surrounding the 19th-Century stone-built church were closed as a parade of more than 100 firefighters from across the country, as far afield as Darlington, County Durham, lined the road leading to the church.

Dozens of floral tributes were carried into the church before the funeral at 11am.

The service was broadcast on the green opposite to the many mourners unable to squeeze into the church.

The brothers' family had been expecting more than 1,000 people to attend.

Alex led his parents Richard and Janet to safety as flames engulfed the family home in Fermor Way, Crowborough, at 2.30am on January 8.

However, Alex, 25, who was off-duty at the time, was overcome by intense heat and fumes as he returned to rescue Phil, 23.

Mr and Mrs Kent received only minor injuries in the blaze.

The couple said they had been left with nothing following Alex and Phil's deaths.

Phil worked as the manager of a golf shop in Tunbridge Wells and many of his colleagues were thought to be at the service.

Alex was the first firefighter to die in a fire in Sussex for 25 years.

He had been in the service for just ten months and was a popular figure among his colleagues.

During the hour-long service, Alex's girlfriend of three years, Melissa Hammond, revealed he had proposed to her the day before he perished.

Fighting back tears, she said: "Alex I want you to know my reply to your question the day before you were so brave would have been yes.

"You were always so sure of our love for each other and never doubted that we would marry and have babies."