LOVING tributes have been paid to a dedicated beachcomber and grandfather who died at his home in Clacton, aged 80.

Brian Salter died on March 16 after a battling with a rare blood disorder called polycythaemia.

Wife Hannah, 78, said he was a “lovely man” who was known by everyone for beachcombing in Clacton since he was a child.

Over the years Brian found countless coins and other items including wedding rings and even a gun.

Brian was born in Clacton in 1937, and had two daughters, Suzanne and Joanne, and a grandson called Samuel.

He met Hannah at the former Bakelite factory on Fairfield Road when they were teenagers before marrying in November 1959.

Mr Salter moved on and worked as an engineer for British Telecoms for a number of years. 

Hannah said: “He was in the Air Force for three years before he met me.

“He had been beach combing ever since he was a little boy – he was always down the beach.

“Lots of people knew him and we spent a lot of time down there as we had a beach hut in Holland Haven.

“He was the kind of man that kept himself and he liked his own company.

“He would spend so much time in his shed making things but he always got on with people.”

Hannah and her family added their thanks to the Jubilee Unit at Clacton Hospital for the care and support they provided to Brian in his last days.

The funeral will be held at Weeley Crematorium on Tuesday, April 24 at 2pm. Any donations can be sent to the RNLI.