TRIBUTES have continued to pour in for beloved Bury comedian Victoria Wood, who has died at the age of 62.

It was announced on Wednesday that the Prestwich-born actress and writer, who attended Fairfield County Primary School and Bury Grammar School, died at home with her family after a short battle with cancer.

Her older brother spoke of the shock of her death, saying it "has robbed us of one of the brightest talents of our generation".

Chris Foote Wood, aged 75, added: "I am hugely proud of what my sister has done so successfully in different fields of entertainment. It has been a privilege to have her as a sister, and particularly to have been able to observe at first-hand how she developed her career from the earliest beginnings.

"Victoria's two children, my niece Grace and nephew Henry will be absolutely devastated to lose their mother at such a relatively young age."

Victoria was well known for her comedy series Victoria Wood: As Seen On TV, as well as her role in sitcom Dinnerladies and her TV special Victoria Wood With All The Trimmings.

She received a special Bafta tribute award in 2005 and in 1997 she was made an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours, later being made a CBE in 2008.

While she was writing and researching Dinnerladies, Victoria spent time working in the canteen at James Halstead PLC's Polyflor factory in Whitefield, and later invited workers to rub shoulders with the cast of the theatre version when it was performed at Manchester’s Palace Theatre in 2010.

Gordon Oliver, finance director at James Halstead, said: "A lot of people remember her coming here, and there are some who are convinced there were characters based on them in the show and the play.

"We were contacted by her agent, who said she just wanted to come in and work the same shifts as everyone else in the canteen for a couple of weeks.

"It was certainly very busy in there with people queuing to see her and I remember getting my curry and chips from her on a Friday.

"She was a Bury girl that the town is very proud of, and I found her to be a very understated and pleasant lady."

Wood's close friend and writing partner Julie Walters also paid tribute to her loss as describing her loss as "incalculable".

Walters said in a statement: "Too heart-sore to comment. The loss of her is incalculable."

The pair forged a lifelong friendship while auditioning at Manchester Polytechnic's student theatre as teenagers and went on to collaborate frequently.

Councillor Mike Connolly, leader of Bury Council, said: “It’s so very sad to hear of Victoria’s death. She was a supremely talented and much loved daughter of the borough, who brought great pleasure to millions across the country.

“She will be greatly missed, and the council sends its deepest sympathy to her family, friends and colleagues.”

Victoria Robinson, chief executive officer of The Met, said: "We are very sad of hear of the death of an iconic star from Bury."