A supercar send- off including Lamborghinis and Audis was formed to mark the funeral of father- of-four who died in a crash during a police chase.
Nearby pubs have also been closed ‘on the advice of the authorities’ and a road has been blocked for the wake.
Up to 50 mourners gathered in Lowton near Golborne from Thursday afternoon to mark the death of Paddy Connors.
The 36-year-old father-of four died with his friend Tommy Sharp, 29, during a police chase last month.
Up to 50 mourners gathered in Lowton near Golborne to mark the death of Paddy Connors
It comes after almost 200 Travellers flouted coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday, as they passed through Salford and gathered into a marquee for Sharp’s wake.
They all revved the engines of their Lamborghinis and Rolls-Royces in tribute.
Under current coronavirus rules, the maximum number of people allowed at a funeral is 30.
Charities claim that Travellers have been ‘disproportionately’ affected by Covid-19 as those living in trailers may make it difficult to limit the spread of the virus within camps. They also may not have access to sanitation and healthcare.
Eyewitnesses said between 150 and 200 mourners left one Traveller site on Dantzic Street and drove behind Sharp’s hearse to a second site on Duchy Road.
They called the parade ‘heartwarming’, adding: ‘The amount of people Tommy knew was unbelievable. I guess from the turnout he was a very popular guy.’
At the wake there was a number of high-performance cars, some with posters of Mr Connors in the window, the Irish tricolour, floral tributes and huge gold-coloured ornament mounted on a truck.
Sharp and his friend Paddy Connors, 36, were killed when a car they were in crashed into two other cars during a police chase.
The police watchdog said that the Mercedes was instructed to stop by an unmarked police car after it was seen speeding through Salford on September 23.
Following the minute-long pursuit, along Lower Broughton Street and Frederick Road, the Mercedes collided with two Volkswagen Passats, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) added.
Tommy Sharp, 29, (left) and Paddy Connors, 36 (right) were killed in a car crash during a police chase
The driver of the first Passat escaped injury, but the driver of the second VW, a taxi, suffered minor injuries.
Two women who were passengers in the back were taken to hospital with serious injuries not thought to be life-threatening, the IOPC said.
IOPC Regional Director Amanda Rowe told MailOnline: ‘The loss of these two men was a tragic incident and my thoughts are with their families and friends at this difficult time.
‘When someone dies following contact with the police, it is mandatory for forces to refer the matter to the IOPC.
‘We will be considering in car footage, CCTV and witness statements to establish the circumstances of this incident and whether the local and national guidelines and procedures were followed.
‘We will continue to keep the families of Mr Connors and Mr Sharp updated on our progress, as well as the force and the coroner.’
Connors leaves behind a wife and four children, and lived in Wigan while Sharp lived with his wife and young children in Salford.
Three pubs in the area posted on social media that they had to close on the advice of the police and council: The Queen Anne, The Millstone and The Ram’s Head.
At Mr Connor’s wake there was a number of high-performance cars, some with posters of him in the window
On its Facebook page, the manager of the Queen Anne posted: ‘Due to a rather large gathering in town we’ve been advised by local authorities to shut our doors for 2 days.
‘You couldn’t make up the next twist and turn that 2020 takes could you. We hope you all stay safe and we’ll see you all on Saturday hopefully.’
The Millstone posted: ‘Sorry we are closed for a couple of days. We received a phone call earlier advising that there was a large gathering happening locally.
‘Under the current guidelines we felt it wouldn’t be right to risk it for our customers. We will reopen at 10am on Saturday.
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‘We hope you understand and see you soon.’
In the funeral of the father-of-four there were supercars including Lamborghinis and Audis
The Ram’s Head said: ‘Following advice from licensing and the police, we will be closed with immediate effect and hope to reopen our doors on
Saturday. We will keep everyone informed of further details as we know them and hope Boris doesn’t close us in the meantime.’
Inquests into the deaths of Paddy Connors, 36, and Tommy Sharp, 29, were opened and adjourned last week.
The wake comes as Manchester was branded the UK’s coronavirus capital after its infection rate increased more than 15-fold since local lockdown was brought in.
Manchester’s 529.4 cases per 100,000 people is the highest weekly rate recorded in the pandemic.
This is higher than the 20 per 100,000 it experienced at the end of July when local lockdowns were enforced in Manchester and the surrounding areas of Salford, Bury, Trafford, Tameside and Rochdale.
But a lack of tests during the spring means it is impossible to accurately compare between now and then. It may have been considerably higher at other points in March and April.
