TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to a Bury firefighter who lost his life on the front line - doing the job he loved.

Colleagues and friends of Stephen Hunt, who died after sustaining injuries in a fire in Manchester's Northern Quarter in 2013 paid their respects to the 38-year-old father-of-two.

A memorial lies close by the Phillips Park fire station, in east Manchester, where he served and fellow firefighters gathered to share memories of Stephen, who also served with the Royal Signals Corps in Bosnia.

A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Services spokesman said: "Seven years on since FF Stephen Hunt lost his life doing the job he loved, our thoughts remain with his loved ones.

"Today, firefighters at Philips Park have paid their respects as they remember a much-loved colleague and friend."

An inquest in 2016 heard that Stephen, who grew up in Whitefield and lived in New Road, Radcliffe, was attempting to tackle a huge fire, with his crew, at Paul's Hair World in July 2013.

While it was believed two girls may have started the blaze, through carelessly discarded cigarettes, no-one was ever convicted over his death, though the inquest did return 'unlawful killing' verdicts.

A street in the Miles Platting area of Manchester, close to the Phillips Park station, was named in Stephen's honour.