A HEAD-ON collision on the A38 claimed the life of a 20-year-old Powick man on Sunday (October 27).

Carl Hawkins, of Dawshill, died when his car was in collision with another vehicle at Coombe Hill, near Tewkesbury.

Also killed in the accident was his close friend Vicki Reading, 20, of Worcester, who was travelling in the passenger seat.

A statement issued on behalf of Mr Hawkins' parents, Glynn Hawkins and Caroline Bees, and his step-dad John Bees, paid tribute to a "very warm and welcoming person" who "will be greatly missed by all the people who knew him".

"We are quite a big family but we are also very close and his death has been a huge blow," it continued.

"He had a good sense of humour and he was a very warm person. He wasn't intimidated by meeting new people and he was always very welcoming to others. When he made friends, they were friends for life."

Carl, who has an older brother Justin and a younger sister Charlotte, attended Hillside School at Malvern before going to Hanley Castle High School.

He left at 16 to pursue his dream career in the motor industry and was in his third year of an apprenticeship as a mechanic at a Vauxhall dealership in Worcester.

"Working as a mechanic he was a round peg in a round hole," said Mrs Bees.

"He was always helping out friends who couldn't afford to get things done to their cars and he was very happy to do that."

His step-dad, John, added: "Carl was a very determined guy, he wanted to do his best in everything he could. I think he would have been a top-flight mechanic and could have seen him ending up working in a Formula One garage."

An inquest into the accident was opened and adjourned to a date to be fixed by Cheltenham coroner Dr Sophie Burrows yesterday (Thursday).

The funeral will be held on Tuesday (November 5) at the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace, in St John's, Worcester, at 2.30pm. It will be followed by a private family service at Worcester Crematorium. Donations are invited in aid of the County Air Ambulance.