THE devastated family of a "warm and welcoming" mechanic who died in a head-on crash have described his death as a "huge blow".

"Carl was a very warm and welcoming person and he'll be greatly missed by all the people who knew him," said his dad Glynn.

"We're quite a big family, but we're also very close and his death has been a huge blow. We know there are many other people out there who will be feeling the same way.

"Carl had grown up in Worcester and had many friends in this area whom he had known since he was three or four years old.

"He was very loyal to them and when he made friends they were friends for life.

"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 welcoming to others."

Carl, who has an older brother Justin, and a younger sister Charlotte, was a former pupil of Hanley Castle High School, near Upton-upon-Severn.

He had left school at 16 to pursue his dream of working in the motor industry and was in his third year as an apprentice mechanic at Bicknell Vauxhall, in Blackpole.

"He had always had a passion for cars," said his devastated mum Caroline Bees.

"Carl played with battery-operated cars from childhood. He loved taking things apart, which came very naturally to him. Working as a mechanic, he was a round peg in a round hole."

His step-dad John Bees described Carl as a "very determined guy".

"He wanted to do his best in everything he could," Mr Bees added.

"I think he would have been a top-flight mechanic - I could have seen him working in a Formula One garage."

His dad said one regular at the Manor Farm pub, in Lower Wick, where Carl had a part-time job, had paid tribute to the popular youngster.

"He said what a lovely chap Carl was. I knew he wasn't just saying it, but really meant it," Mr Hawkins added.