The death of a former leading light of Pitsea Market was today hailed as a "sad loss".

Alf Cohen, who died aged 84 on December 22, was one of a five-generation dynasty which had held stalls at the market since 1926.

His grandson Martin, who worked on the stall until leaving for a career in accounts, said: "People in the area knew my grandfather very well.

The last time I went to the market with him, last year, people kept coming up to say hello and ask how he was."

Alf's sons Sammy and Mark ran the stall after him, then handed over to Martin and his brother Adam.

Other members of the Southend-based family were too upset to talk about Alf. Pitsea Market operator Frank Nash described Alf's death as a "sad loss".

He said: "I knew the family very well, and Alf was very much a leading light on the markets and auctioneering scene from the 1920s onwards.

"Alf was around when Tesco and Sainsbury were starting up. He was a very gentle, helpful man, very nice and very straight - what you saw was what you got."

Missed - Alf Cohen

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