TRIBUTES have been paid to a North-East man who died in a serious accident on a Cheshire motorway.

Lorry driver Anthony Bainbridge, 49, of Esh Winning, near Durham, died in the crash on the M56 near Runcorn, in Cheshire, at noon, last Thursday.

The accident, involved two lorries, a coach with no passengers and a red Audi, driven by Julie Darnell, 39, of St Helens, Merseyside, who also died.

A statement released by the Mr Bainbridge’s family today (Monday, October 13) said: "Anthony, a HGV driver for 25 years, was better known to his friends and family as 'Bambi'. He was a father, stepfather, grandad, brother and uncle.

"Anthony was a much loved character in the village of Esh Winning, having been born there and lived in the village all his life.

“He was known as a joker, always making people laugh.

"Anthony was a Sunderland fan through and through and much to everyone′s surprise he was a keen grower of tomatoes and cucumbers which he grew in his greenhouse at home.

"Anthony′s untimely death is a sad loss to the whole of Esh Winning and all those that knew and loved him."

The family of Ms Darnell said: ""Julie was full of fun with a great sense of humour and lived life to the full, a very special confident woman who was kind, considerate, caring and touched so many people′s lives.

“She will be greatly missed by all her family, friends and colleagues.”

The accident resulted in the road being closed for several hours, causing serious delays in the Cheshire area.

Fire crews spent more than two hours trying to free the casualties as ambulance staff and motorway police also attended.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident.