Hundreds set to attend funeral of David Ervine in Belfast

Hundreds of mourners are expected to attend the funeral of the late PUP leader David Ervine in Belfast today.

The 53-year-old died in hospital earlier this week after suffering a heart attack and stroke last weekend.

He was a widely respected politician on both sides of the sectarian divide in the North, having abandoned loyalist paramilitarism in favour of the peace process.

Ervine was jailed in the 1970s for possessing explosives, but played a key role in securing the loyalist ceasefires of 1994.

He was elected to the Stormont Assembly in 1998 and was a frequent speaker at meetings on both sides of the border.