Last Arena victim laid to rest

The funeral of the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena bombing, eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos, was taking place today, the last of the 22 victims to be laid to rest.

Saffie, along with 21 others, seven of them aged under 18, died in the terror attack as fans streamed out of the Arena following an Ariana Grande pop concert.

The youngster was a huge fan of the US singer and had got tickets for the show as a Christmas present from her parents.

The family have invited anyone touched by her death to attend the service at Manchester Cathedral to celebrate Saffie's short life and to take a single rose in her memory should they wish to take flowers.

Her older sister Ashlee was also injured and her mother Lisa was left with extensive injuries and taken to hospital unconscious and gravely ill.

In Tarleton, between Preston and Southport, the village where Saffie and her brother went to school, streets were festooned with pink ribbons tied to gate posts and lampposts as a mark of remembrance.