Tributes paid to longest serving Castleford market trader Alf Coverdale who has died aged 76.

Mr Coverdale, who owned Coverdales pet shop and was the longest serving trader at the market, even persuaded his daughter Julie to hold her wedding on a Wednesday afternoon so he wouldn’t have to shut the shop.

And, he left instructions that his funeral should also take place on a Wednesday so his fellow traders would be able to attend.

Renowned for his sense of humour, Mr Coverdale was popular among colleagues and customers and many people have left flowers and other tributes at the stall where he worked until just a few weeks before his death from cancer.

Born in South Shields, Mr Coverdale was a welder and followed the work down to Leeds and then Castleford in the 1960s.

He was married to Carol for 54 years: the couple have two children Julie and David, and Mr Coverdale has a son Steven from a previous marriage. They have 11 grandchildren.

For his 60th birthday the family bought him a painting by numbers set and this led to him discovering his artistic talent.

Most afternoons after getting home from work he would disappear into his shed at the bottom of the garden to paint landscapes in oil - some of which he sold. His favourite subjects were trees and waterfalls.

The family have been overwhelmed by the tributes paid to him and would like to thank all his colleagues at the market and his customers for all their support over the years.

The funeral is on Wednesday September 8 at 10am at Pontefract Crematorium and then afterwards at the Roundhill Club, Castleford.