Scores turned out to greet a much-loved Maidstone biker as he arrived after his final ride.

Steve Haines, known as Doss to friends after a homeless spell in his younger years, was laid to rest at Vinters Park Crematorium.

The 57-year-old, of Stockett Lane, Coxheath, arrived at the Bearsted Road site in a sidecar accompanied by a convoy of fellow bikers.

The father-of-two became well known around Maidstone and frequented various pubs in the town.

A wake for the former Maidstone Grammar School pupil was held at the Royal Albion near Fremlin Walk, a pub he regularly visited.

His sister Kate Haines said: "He was a very cool, kind, gentle, funny and irreverent man. One of his Facebook friends describes him as "malice-less", which is a pretty good description.

"He was great fun to be around and he loved practical jokes.

"One day he ran into his local shop wearing a stocking mask and pretended to be a robber, knowing the guy who ran it would recognise his voice at once and think it was funny.

"Unfortunately the guy was on holiday and a cousin was looking after the shop. Steve had some serious explaining to do.

"He used to invent wild stories, often with himself as Desert Man or The Viking.

"Sometimes you were not sure what was true and what wasn't, but they were always funny.

"He had a finger amputated a while ago and convinced my little grandson it was bitten off by a shark. Kids and animals loved him."

She added: "We were very close when we were little as there was only an 11-month gap between us. I cannot believe he has gone and life will never be the same without him."

Mr Haines, who was described by his sister Kate as having an unpredictable and weird sense of humour, leaves behind his partner Maria, two sons, Joe and Sam and beloved dog Mandy.

He died from heart disease in January.