A taxi driver died with coronavirus after being spat at in Stratford by a fare-dodger who claimed to have the disease.

Trevor Belle died in the Royal London Hospital last month, having tested positive for Covid-19.

Several weeks earlier, the east Londoner had been spat at by a passenger who owed him £9, according to his friend Damian Briggs.

After the incident on March 22, Trevor began to feel unwell with symptoms of coronavirus, Damian explained.

He added: “A few days later he got rushed into hospital, he spent three weeks battling it and unfortunately didn’t make it to the end.”

The new grandfather died three days after his 61st birthday.

After his death, Trevor’s blood was donated to research into the effects of Covid-19 in people from BAME communities, Damian said, as he paid tribute to his “die-hard Arsenal supporter” friend.

He described them as “not blood brothers, but we are brothers”.

He said: “He loves the game, he loves Arsenal, he loves supporting to see kids do really well in the game.

“He did a lot of volunteering stuff.”

A GoFundMe page for Trevor has now raised £6,000 - double its target - to cover the costs of a funeral and “celebration of his life”.

Damian added: “Best way I can describe Trev is just a jovial person who, as serious as life is, would always find a way to get a smile on your face so you can take your mind off the problem.

“It was very rare you saw something that bothered this guy.

“No matter how bad it was, he always found a way to have a laugh and chuckle.”

The fundraising page can be found at gofundme.com/f/trevor-belle.