AS many as 600 mourners are expected to attend the funeral of a much-loved traveller in Malvern, on Monday.

Pearl Hodgkins, thought to be in her late-40s, died of a stroke a few days ago, and the service is expected to attract a massive gathering of friends, family and sympathisers.

Having lived in the area for about 27 years, Mrs Hodgkins, a traveller, had established many close relationships.

"She had quite a few relatives in the Hereford, Ledbury and Malvern areas," said a friend, who did not wish to be named.

"She was well-known and liked in the town, and after nearly 30 years there, hundreds of people will turn up for her."

Although the funeral, which is being held near a trailer site near to the Three Counties Showground, is due to begin around noon, many mourners are expected to arrive hours beforehand, creating possible congestion problems in the area.

"Usually police are involved in these events.

"It will probably be the biggest that Malvern has seen for some time and if the police don't control it, it will be chaos," said Mrs Hodgkins' friend.

The funeral comes months after large numbers of mourners packed into Hallow Church to pay their respects to Isaac Smith, a Romany gipsy, who died of cancer.

On that occasion, numerous flatbed lorries were required to carry the dozens of bouquets and wreaths that were brought to the ceremony.

However, the funeral of Mrs Hodgkins is thought to be several times larger than that of Mr Smith, raising concerns about the number of people expected to attend.

A spokeswoman for Worcester police confirmed that they were aware of the situation.