ONE of the last surviving pioneers of long-distance road haulage in Britain, Herbert (Bert) Hinchcliffe, has died at the age of 90.

Bert ran Hinchcliffe's, the business founded by his father Joe shortly after the First World War at the family home Gollinrod, near Ramsbottom.

When Joe's sons John and Bert were pioneering a Scottish service in the 1920s, night traffic was so light north of Lancaster that drivers would extinguish their acetylene lamps and save fuel by coasting unseen down the far side of Shap at astonishing speeds and out of gear.

In 2001, Bert and his family decided to sell off the company's distinctive red lorries.

He remained a member of the Transport and General Workers Union, long after he had become one of the best-known bosses in the industry.

He died on Thursday in Fairfield General Hospital. His wife Annie died in 1999 and he leaves a daughter Margaret, sons John and Geoffrey, six grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The funeral was being held today at Greenmount Congregational Church before a cremation on Monday at Southern Crematorium, Manchester.

There will be family flowers only but donations can be sent to the British Heart Foundation, care of the funeral director, Booth and Wolstenholme, Ramsbottom.