Police have confirmed that the funeral procession for the dead burglar Henry Vincent will not pass by the Hither Green home where he was killed.

Henry Vincent was 37 when he was part of a bungled burglary at the home of 78-year-old Richard Osborn-Brooks in South Park Crescent in the early hours of April 4.

The pensioner stabbed the intruder in his home and, although Vincent was rushed to hospital, he was pronounced dead later that morning.

The death became a hot button issue after Mr Osborn-Brooks was arrested on suspicion of murder but then released without charge.

The Vincent family included a number of career criminals within their ranks and when they tried to hang flowers up outside where he was killed, residents and campaigners repeatedly tore them down.

A funeral to Henry is being held tomorrow (May 3) in Orpington, near where the Vincent family live, but rumours were abound that a horse-drawn procession of his body would go past the home he was killed.

This had incensed many locals and campaigners, with people vowing to blockade the road and even jump on the hearse to stop the procession if it went ahead.

However today Met Police confirmed that the procession would not even enter the borough of Lewisham.

A spokesman from the Met said: “We have been told that a large number of people may attend, and an appropriate policing plan has been put in place in consultation with Kent Police and the relevant local authorities.

"It is not unusual for large funeral processions to cause traffic disruption. Any impact will be managed by traffic officers, and borough officers will also be deployed at key locations. No road closures have been requested.

"We are aware of reports that the procession will pass by South Park Crescent. At this time, our understanding is that the procession is not due to enter Lewisham.

"However, to provide community reassurance, there will be high-visibility patrols in the Hither Green and South Park Crescent area on the day of the funeral.

"The Metropolitan Police will also be running a London wide policing operation as part of the 2018 Local Government elections that are taking place on the same day."

Richard and his wife Maureen have had to move out of their home and the windows of the house have been boarded up.