A family have revealed the touching reason why a truck was used as a hearse during the funeral procession of a beloved father.
The funeral of Darren Roger-Latham was held in Westerleigh on July 12 and was attended by hundreds of loved ones.
The father, who lived in Pucklechurch and died aged 51, spent his life working in the construction industry and owned a successful company.
As part of the service, his coffin was carried on the back of a transit tipper van and followed by a convoy of skip lorries.
Son Tony Latham said the family came up with the unique send-off to honour Darren's life and how he stayed true to his roots.
"He did have many properties in Bristol and had a really successful business but he never cared about what he looked like or what he drove," he said. "He was happiest in his van.
"We decided to honour that so the coffin was carried on the back of a transit tipper van.
"It was followed by a convoy of many large vehicles and skip lorries. Traffic was backed up for over a mile through Westerleigh."
Video taken on the day shows the van carrying the coffin, followed by a convoy of vehicles including skip lorries.
Mr Latham said everyone also wore work clothes to the funeral in honour of Darren's memory.
"Everyone wore their work clothes to the funeral and went back to work afterwards which is what he stood for," he said.
"Around 200 people attended - it was a really good turnout, he was a popular man.
"His friends were from all different walks of life - he would talk to anybody and it showed."
He added the funeral directors were "brilliant" in helping organise the unusual choice of hearse.
"We went to the funeral directors with the request and they were brilliant about it, really dignified," he said.
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