Motorway blaze firefighter buried

Mr Mallaghan was hit by a car while tackling a fire

The funeral has taken place of a firefighter who died after being hit by a car as he tackled a vehicle blaze on a motorway.

Paul Mallaghan, 46, was attending the fire in a Saab car on the A1(M) in Hertfordshire when the crash happened on 16 June.

The funeral was held at the church of St Andrew and St George, Stevenage.

Colleagues carried the sub officer's coffin on a fire service aerial ladder platform.

Members of Blue Watch, Stevenage, wore ceremonial uniform and act as pallbearers.

He was known...for his professionalism, for his big heart and his willingness to help others Roy Wilsher, Hertfordshire chief fire officer

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service staff provided a guard of honour. The service was followed by a private burial.

Mr Mallaghan, who was described by friends as "18 stone of muscle and might" and a "gentle giant", worked on the same watch at Stevenage as two other firefighters who were killed in a flat fire in 2005.

Roy Wilsher, Hertfordshire chief fire officer said: "He will be truly missed. He was known throughout the service for his professionalism, for his big heart and his willingness to help others. He was a great leader and for Blue Watch in particular this is a double tragedy."

Outside the church hundreds more mourners watched on a television screen.