CROWDS turned out to pay their respects at the funeral of popular Trowbridge skip hire boss Fred Gardner who died suddenly at the age of 50.

The horse-drawn funeral procession paused at Mr Gardner's Drynham Lane yard, where he had worked since he was 15, on its way to St Nicholas Church in North Bradley on Tuesday.

Mr Gardner died at his fiance Jenny Morland's home in Bradley Road on Trowbridge carnival night.

Mrs Morland said: "People were standing outside listening to the service on loudspeakers.

"He was a very popular man who cared deeply for friends and family."

Mr Gardner owned Gardner's Skip Hire in Trowbridge and was a scrap metal dealer. He also enjoyed a game of darts and played for the Rising Sun pub in North Bradley.

He had a number of properties in Trowbridge, which he rented out to tenants.

Mrs Morland said: "He was friendly and genuine and always had a smile on his face.

"He knew everybody and would always wave."

After the service, Mr Gardner was buried at Trowbridge Cemetery.