A former local government reporter who spent 32 years with a Lancashire weekly has died aged 90.

Bert Bolton, left, became one of the “best-known faces in Burnley” during his long stint with the Burnley Express which ended with his retirement in 1987.

After beginning his career as a copy boy with a national newspaper in Manchester, he worked for a series of national and local titles before joining the Express from the Stockport Advertiser in 1954.

He also served in the Army in the Second World War and was a signaller on Gold beach during the D-Day landings in Normandy

An onbituary in the current edition of the Express described Bert as “more at home in the corridors of power at Burnley Town Hall than many of its council members.”

“Bert was universally respected in the town and at the Express was something of a legend, regaling young journalists with his tales of past stories and events which he remembered vividly.”

His life was marked by personal tragedy with the deaths of his wife Barbara in 1996, daughter Jackie a year later and grandson Sean earlier this year.  He leaves three great-grandchildren.

Bert’s funeral will take place at Burnley Crematorium at noon on Thursday.