About 500 Romany travellers descended on Wantage, to pay their respects at a huge gypsy funeral.

Mourners from as far away as the Isle of Wight, packed historic SS Peter and Paul Church for the funeral of great-grandmother Joany Cooper.

Mrs Cooper - whose maiden name was Rusher - was a much-loved member of the Romany community with strong links to Wantage.

Floral tributes for Joany Cooper

The mother-of-three was born in the town and lived there until about six years ago. She had many friends and relatives in the area. Mrs Cooper died, aged 74, at a traveller site in Twyford, near Reading, after a long illness.

A convoy of nine limousines and trucks containing spectacular floral tributes - some in the shape of tea cups, newspapers, and armchairs - arrived in Wantage from Twyford.

After a short service, the cortege moved on to Chain Hill Cemetery, where she was buried.

There were fears that the town would become gridlocked by travellers' vehicles, and shoppers had been warned by police to stay away from the town centre, to minimise disruption.

Despite the large number of mourners, Wantage police said the afternoon had gone smoothly. Officers were drafted in from Henley to help enforce the town's strict parking restrictions, and special parking was arranged at King Alfred's Community and Sports College.

Mrs Cooper's great nephew John Cooper, from High Wycombe, said: "We came to pay our respects to a lovely lady. She was a kind, loving woman."

He added: "Romany families stick together. There are strong bonds. If we hear a traveller has died, we will travel from all over the country to pay our respects. We have to stay together, and be there for each other, as no-one else will be there for us."

Another relative, Danny Preece, from Twyford, who is Mrs Cooper's grandson by marriage, said: "She thought of Wantage as her home town. She was very popular. She loved her bingo, newspaper and tea - which is the reason behind the flowers."

Insp Stewart Haveron, of Wantage Police, said: "It went smoothly. It was nice of the family to approach us and give us advance warning so we were able to arrange off-road parking.

"Although there was some disruption in terms of traffic, we were able to manage it. Everyone was well-behaved and disciplined."