A PROCESSION of taxi drivers paid tribute to a colleague who died of a heart attack.

The funeral of Dave Ford, 62, of The Grove, Southend, was held yesterday and between 30 and 40 taxis followed his hearse from his home to Southend Crematorium.

Friend and colleague Carol Scott, 44, of Southchurch Road, Southend, described him as a “sheer joy to work with”.

She said: “I’d known him about five years and it was an honour and a privilege to work with him and have him as a friend.”

Radio Cars director Dave Birch said: “He started in the cab trade in 1969, then spent some 15 years driving trucks before joining us around 1985/86. There’s no other way to say it, but it’s a shame it happened to such a really lovely guy.”

Mr Ford leaves three children, two sons and a daughter, and two grandchildren.