Tributes have been paid to long-serving Romford Recorder local government reporter Roy Weal.

He had been battling a serious illness and died aged 51.

All three of the area's MPs, as well as other political figures from the local scene paid moving tributes.

Roy joined the paper, now owned by Archant, in 1979 and had been news editor on three separate occasions.

Editor Mark Sweetingham said: "For Roy, working for the Romford Recorder was not just a job - it was a way of life.

"These days it is not fashionable to spend the vast majority of your waking hours pursuing your job or profession. But Roy cut his journalistic teeth in an age when it was common to do so.

"It remained his style throughout his career and he never considered it to be extra ordinary.

"He was the consummate professional, a gentleman and a gentle man. Letters and phone calls of condolence have been coming in all week. The Romford Recorder will be a poorer place without him."

His funeral took place on Tuesday in Essex.

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