TRIBUTES have been paid to a retired butcher dubbed 'Mr Yarm' who died on Monday.

David Rigg worked in the family butcher's shop for more than 40 years and represented the town as both mayor and a county councillor.

The father-of-two and grandfather-of-four, was married to Elizabeth, and was an active member of the church.

Yarm's current mayor, Jason Hadlow, said: "I first met David 15 years ago and he quickly became the family butcher. I'll never forget him or his straw boater. He was ever present in his shop and was quite the quintessential butcher.

"He was Mr Yarm personified. Moreover, David was a generous giver of his time and worked tirelessly within the community. He will be sadly missed by his former customers, the parishioners of St Mary Magdalene and all of us in Yarm that knew him."

Town councillor, Andrew Sherris, said: "He was well-respected by all sides when he was a member of Cleveland County Council and to many of us he was Mr Yarm, standing outside the butcher`s shop wearing his familiar straw boater.

"He will be sadly missed as one of Yarm`s characters and a true gentleman who I never heard say a bad word about anyone."

The Rigg family business was a fixture of Yarm High Street since 1896. Mr Rigg worked alongside his father from 1968 and took over the running of the shop in the 1970s. When he retired in 2012 there was no butchers on the High Street for the first time since 1720, although a new one has since opened.

His funeral will be held at St Mary Magdeline's on Wednesday June 24 at 12.30pm followed by a private cremation.