The friends and family of a football-mad dad-of-two are raising funds to pay for his funeral after he was crushed by machinery at work.

Steve Jeffrey, from Cliffe, in Rochester died when he was reportedly trapped under heavy machinery at offices in Fleet Place in the City of London last month.

Now his friends are hoping to give him the send-off they say he so deserves.

Ben Smoker has set up a GoFundMe page and hopes to raise £5,000 to help Steve’s partner Andrea and his children Amy and Kai as they prepare to say goodbye.

He said: “At this heartbreaking time Andrea, Amy, Kai and family have had their worlds turned upside down and are going through the worse experience imaginable.

“No explanations, no planning, no final words of comfort, no goodbyes.”

He added: “Steve worked very hard all his life and was full of pride for his family. His bubbly kind hearted nature and caring personality touched so many. He would do anything for anyone and would put them unselfishly before his own needs.”

‘We will always think of him when we see those bubbles going in the sky’

The 51-year-old spent every spare moment cheering his son from the sidelines as he played for Ebbsfleet U18s and Whitstable Under 19s as well as supporting his beloved West Ham Football Club

Ben is hoping some of the funds can go towards creating a funeral that pays tribute to the Hammers fanatic’s love for the London team.

He said: “We will certainly always think of him when we see those bubbles going in the sky.”

Steve, who Ben calls Scuba, travelled the length and breadth of the country to watch his son Kai play for youth clubs including Higham Eagles, Cobham Colts, Maidstone, Gillingham, Sheppey, Medway District and Kent Schools.

Ben said: “He was proud of Kai’s achievements and we are sure Ben will be watching over him with every kick of the ball in the future. He was also as equally proud and full of love for his Andrea and Amy.”

Ben said Steve’s family have been left shocked by his untimely death.

He said: “No one expects to go to work and lose their life.

“Steve was always the first to buy a pint and help anyone where he could therefore we hope people will dig deep but any donation big or small will be massively appreciated. We want to give Steve the send off he deserves.”

You can donate to the appeal here.

Steve died on April 20 after being trapped underneath machinery in a central London office building.

Paramedics, police and firefighters rushed to a building in the City at around 10.20am.

A spokesman for the London Fire Bridage said: “Crews worked to rescue the man but he sadly died at the scene.

“Fire engines, including a fire rescue unit, from Dowgate, Islington and Soho fire stations attended the scene alongside partners from the City of London Police and London Ambulance Service.”

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson, added: “We sent numerous resources to the scene, including two ambulance crews, an incident response officer, a clinical team manager and members of our hazardous area response team (HART). We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.

“Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a person was pronounced dead at the scene.”

Chief Inspector Tom Fisher, from the City of London Police, said: “Officers were called at 10:07am to an industrial incident in Fleet Place to assist the London Ambulance Service, London’s Air Ambulance and London Fire Brigade. Sadly, one person died at the scene.”