THE FAMILY of a pensioner who died after he was knocked down by a car in Padiham have paid tribute to the man who 'always had a smile on his face.'

Dougie Wilkinson, 77, of Hapton Street, was crossing Burnley Road in the town at about 7.30pm on Easter Sunday when he was hit by a green Honda Civic.

The father of three later died from his injuries at Burnley General Hospital.

Dougie leaves behind three children, sons Mark, 44 and Nigel, 49 and daughter Marilyn, 51, and five grandchildren, Craig, James, Kathryn, Siobhan and Corinne.

Mark said: "He was absolutely devoted to his granchildren and loved spending time with them.

"In fact he loved all children. If he was ever talking to somebody in the street and they had a child with them he would soon forget what he was talking about and start making a fuss of the kiddie instead.

"He used to spend hours walking the dogs with Kathryn at his side and he loved his social life. He will be sadly missed by many friends in Burnley and Padiham, where he was very well known."

Dougie was born in Colne, but spent most of his life in Padiham where he worked on the railways for almost 30 years before going to work as a security guard for Lucas until he retired.

He was a well-known face in pubs including the Shakespeare, Bridge and Tim Bobbin, where he was going when the fatal accident happened.

His funeral will be held at 2pm on Tuesday at Burnley Crematorium.

The family are asking for donations to the NSPCC through Birtwistle's funeral directors.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the accident, which happened at the junction of Burnley Road and Hambledon Street, near the One Stop Shop.

The lights on the pedestrian crossing were out because of roadworks.

Police want to speak to the drivers of a white transit van taxi and a purple Renault Clio as well as anyone who saw the green Honda before the accident.

Anyone with information should call police on 01282 472431.