A regional crime reporter “trusted by both the police and the villains” has died aged 74.

Tributes have been paid to Bryan Brough, who served the Paisley Daily Express for 30 years.

During Bryan’s career, he also had a six-year spell at the Paisley branch of the old Glasgow Evening Citizen.

Former Express editor Norman Macdonald had led the tributes.

He told the newspaper: “Trust is a very important aspect of being a successful journalist and people could trust Bryan.

“As his editor, I trusted Bryan to do his very best every day and give 100 per cent in getting the facts behind any story he was working on.

“As a long-time crime reporter, Bryan was trusted by both the police and the villains when it came to getting information, as he went about his business covering the stories that would regularly grace the front pages of the paper.

“Bryan was a gritty, old school, foot-in-the-door journalist and if you were going to cast someone as an intrepid reporter in the movies, then Bryan would fit the bill.

“He was a gentle giant of a man, a great character in a time when characters were allowed to flourish and a fabulous teller of tales of derring-do from his lifetime working in newspapers.”

Bryan was born and raised in Paisley and followed in the footsteps of his father Jimmy, who was the editor of the Scottish Sunday Express.

He worked for various titles before joining the Evening Citizen, where he worked from 1968 to 1974.

He then left journalism for a spell to work in the oil fields off Shetland, before returning to the Express in 1981.

He remained there for three decades before retiring in 2011.

Current Express editor Gavin McInally said: “When I arrived at the Paisley Daily Express in 2006, Broughie was a reporter to look up to both figuratively and literally, as he was a mountain of a man.

“He was a top rate crime reporter who was honest and compassionate with people, who were sometimes going through the hardest moments of their lives, while remaining professional and always getting the job done.

“I followed in his crime beat footsteps once he’d left the title and it’s hard to think of another colleague who I learned quite as much from while sharing a newsroom.

“Even in retirement he was a huge and familiar presence in Paisley and was often spotted on his daily walks by ex-colleagues. We’ll all remember him fondly.”

Bryan was married twice and had three daughters – Julie-Ann Brough, Jane Davidson and Vivienne Sinclair – as well as five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Mrs Sinclair told the Express: “He couldn’t walk five steps without saying ‘Hi’ to someone in Paisley.

“He wasn’t keen on technology and didn’t like computers or WiFi till covid hit and I made him get online.

“After that he couldn’t get enough of watching YouTube and keeping up with the news online.”

Bryan’s funeral will take place at 1.30pm on Thursday at Paisley’s Woodside Crematorium.