The devastated parents of a boy suspected to have inhaled deodorant before his tragic death have paid tribute to their “happy” and “cheeky” son.

Nicky Lowther, 13, died unexpectedly on June 27 at his home in Canterbury, shattering the lives of his family.

The Canterbury Academy pupil was laid to rest after a service at Herne Bay crematorium on Wednesday.

A horse and carriage took him along the seafront in Herne Bay, the town where he grew up, for his final journey before friends and family said their farewells.

His heartbroken mother Naomi Jarnell says her “blue-eyed boy” was very popular at school and never afraid to speak his mind.

Paying tribute to her son at the funeral, she said: “You were so full of love loyalty, intelligence and laughter, and pure silliness.

“You were also my 'Mr. Inappropriate!’ Never afraid to say exactly what was on your mind at the time, and that actually made me extremely proud of you and I admired you for this.

“I'm even going to miss the calls from the school over the things you came out with.

“I would pull you up over it, but you just knew I thought some of those comments were generous just by the cheeky smirk you had on your face.”

Ms Jarnell said she is going to “miss so much” about Nicky, even how he left wet towels screwed up on the floor.

“I know life will never be the same again, you are supposed to be doing it with us,” she added.

“But somehow we will navigate through this, for the sake of your brother and your sisters who you adored, not forgetting your fat ginger cat, Eddie Sheeran.

“I used to be scared of death, but I now imagine being reunited with you and having a massive cuddle.

"Until then I know you would have already found loved ones up there who will be guiding you through life in heaven.”

Ms Jarnell had found Nicky unresponsive at home and attempted CPR to revive him. But tragically he could not be saved.

Nicky’s father Nick Lowther described his son as a “happy boy” who was “adventurous” and also very “cheeky”.

The 36-year-old said: “We loved him because he was a Jack the Lad and always did what he wanted.

“He always wanted to make everyone laugh.

“He loved his PlayStation, you could never get him off it, but he also loved being outdoors and going out to the woods and camping.

“He liked going to the gym and working out but the main thing was his family.“

Mr Lowther said when Nicky left school, he wanted to be an inventor or a lawyer.

He added: “Nicky was good at building, taking things apart and putting them back together, which he gets from me so that’s where the inventor side of things came from.

“But he also said he wanted to be a criminal lawyer. I asked him why once and he said, ‘To keep you and grandad out of trouble.’

“I miss him so much it kills me.”

Following the tragedy, Nicky’s aunt Toni Lowther has started a petition prompting calls for age restrictions to be introduced on aerosols.

Initially unaware of the risks they posed, Miss Lowther was shocked to find out they were potentially so deadly yet easily accessible to young people.

The 34-year-old said: “Any child can go to a supermarket and buy a deodorant which can be fatal, yet they can't buy a can of Red Bull or lottery ticket.

“There isn't a law and I feel like it’s something that needs to be implemented and children shouldn't be able to buy them.

“It's not going to bring Nicky back, and it's not going to change that situation, but it might help parents and other children who might think to try it.”

To view the petition, click here.

So far it has been signed by more than 2,300 people.