Kray funeral date set

Reggie Kray will be buried next to his brothers

The funeral of Reggie Kray will take place next Wednesday, his solicitor has confirmed.

The former East End gangster, who died on Sunday aged 66, will be buried next to his twin brother, Ronnie, and older brother Charlie at Chingford cemetery in London.

His funeral cortege will leave from W. English and Son undertakers in Bethnal Green, east London, Mark Goldstein said.

A noon service will be held at St Matthews Church followed by a burial in the family plot.

The event is expected to be as big as that of his brother Ronnie five years ago when thousands lined the same eight-mile route from the Kray 'manor'.

'Enthusiasm for life'

Reggie Kray's death followed a long battle against bladder cancer. His wife Roberta, 41, was by his side when he passed away at the Town House Hotel in Norwich where he spent his last week.

In a statement released on behalf of Mrs Kray on Tuesday, she said her husband's "warmth, humour and spirit" would never be forgotten.

Reggie Kray's widow Roberta was with him when he died

"He made the most of the simple pleasures of being free - of being able to talk to and hold those that were dearest to him. He said that was what real happiness meant.

"Reg's long imprisonment, beyond the tariff laid down, never dampened his enthusiasm and vitality for life.

"Compared to those who have committed similar crimes and worse, he endured a punishment that was both punitive and unmerciful," it read.

Reggie Kray was released from prison in late August on compassionate grounds by Home Secretary Jack Straw.

He spent 31 years in jail after being sentenced in 1969 for stabbing to death fellow gangster Jack 'The Hat' McVitie.

The Kray twins were among Britain's most feared gangsters and established a reign of terror over London's underground in the 1960s.