THOUSANDS of people lined the streets of Bolton on Tuesday for the funeral of celebrity steeplejack Fred Dibnah at Bolton Parish Church.

Hundreds who gathered outside the church broke into spontaneous applause as the cortege arrived shortly before noon.

The church will be full to its 550-seat capacity for the service which will be followed by burial at Tonge Cemetery.

And in true Fred Dibnah style, his beloved steam engine Betsy played a central role, leading the funeral procession through town.

The whole parade, watched by thousands of people who lined the route from his Radcliffe Road home, was led by the band of the Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, resplendent in their black, red and gold uniforms.

John Howarth from Howarth's funeral service said: "Fred wanted a Victorian type funeral, but with steam."

Friends from the traction engine world attended the funeral from all over the country, bringing their own engines to take part in the procession.

Family mourners, including his wife, Sheila, three daughters and two sons followed in cars with fellow enthusiasts' steam engines bringing up the rear.

The Vicar of Bolton, Canon Michael Williams said it was fitting that Fred's funeral should be held at the Parish Church -- a building which inspired him to take up steeplejacking and which he climbed and repaired on many occasions.

"It was working on the parish church that actually began his steeplejacking career so it is quite symbolic in that sense," he said.

Fred's family have requested that only family flowers should be sent, with donations in lieu for Bolton Hospice, where Fred died on Saturday after a long battle with cancer.

Donations should be sent to Howarth Funeral Service, 638 Blackburn Road, Bolton.