THE funeral of Billy Dean will take place on Monday at the church just a few short yards from his home.

A service at Holy Trinity Church, Prestolee, at 10.30am, will be followed by interment in St Saviour's Churchyard, Ringley, at 11am.

Billy's parents, Joe and Elaine, who have two other sons Brett, aged 18, and Grant, aged 14, said they hope to bury their youngest son in his beloved Bolton Wanderers shirt.

The Rev Tony Roache, vicar of Prestolee and Ringley, said he had felt that the whole community had been shaken by the death of the eight-year-old on Saturday.

He said: "Since Sunday morning when most people found out about the tragic accident there has been a sombre mood in the village. People are shaken and shocked that such a young life has been so tragically torn from among us.

"We have prayed daily for Billy's family and friends and for the police and medical teams that dealt with the aftermath of the event.

"Billy's funeral on Monday will be an emotional time as we mark the end of a life that had barely begun and prepare for a future with a gaping hole in it."

The funeral car will leave Billy's house in Bridge Street at 10.20am for the short journey to church in Church Road next to Prestolee Primary School where he was a pupil.