Bridgwater man given send off with motorcycle procession

Friends, family and members of the biker fraternity gathered outside the home of Steve Austin this afternoon to ensure the 69-year-old was laid to rest in the fashion he would have wanted.

Mr Austin passed away on March 26 after a shock terminal cancer diagnosis six weeks earlier.

Prior to his funeral today, his hearse was escorted from his home in Woolavington to Sedgemoor Crematorium by a cortege of motorcycles.

Mr Austin was an avid biker in his younger days and ran The Dickens Inn in Rotherham.

His family appealed for members of the motorcycle community to come along to his funeral and they did not disappoint. 

His step-granddaughter, Josie Cole, 28, previously told us: "He was in my family since I was three or four so I've always seen him as a paternal grandad.

"He was the kind of man who would do anything for anyone and he's always been there for me and the family if we've ever needed anything. He cared a lot for other people.

"It wasn't until after he died and we started going through old boxes of photos that I realised he was even into biking."

Mr Austin leaves behind his wife, Lily, for whom he was a full time carer.