TRIBUTES have been paid to a man who died after being crushed by a lorry on Haven Bridge on Valentine's Day.

Terry Stevens, 58, of Southtown Road, Great Yarmouth, died after being hit by a lorry as he tried to cross Haven Bridge on Tuesday, February 14. Paramedics were unable to save him and he died at the scene.

Mr Stevens, who is from Canning Town in London, moved to Great Yarmouth in 2005 when his friend Jean Avis bought the Cobholm Tavern.

Ms Avis, 66, who lives in Nelson Court, Caister-on-Sea, with her partner Mike, said: 'He came with us to help with the pub - he was like a caretaker.

'He was happy - he loved it up here. He played pool and darts and liked watching the football. He used to wind the women up - he was a bit of a joker.

'At first I just couldn't come to terms with the news that he had passed away. I am still in a state of shock really. I feel like I was all he had.'

Mr Stevens provided support when Ms Avis' partner, Eric, passed away in 2007 after battling cancer.

A devoted West ham supporter, he had the club's crest tattooed on his arm.

'I met him in a pub in London about 20 years ago. They called him Cockney Terry.

'He liked to drink John Smith's. He wasn't in good health, he was very poorly. He was epileptic and had to carry a pen and his breathing was awful but he was one of those men who always said he was alright.

'He had a routine and would go out every morning at 10.30am and come home around 1pm on the bus. I used to see him cross the road to the central reservation before and I told him he should walk up to the lights to cross.'

He never married and did not have any children.

A service will be held at Hermit Road Crematorium in east London on March 2.

An inquest was opened on Tuesday, February 21 to determine the cause of his death. A full inquest will be held at a later date.