A FAMILY has paid tribute to a lorry driver who was killed in a horror crash on the M56 in Runcorn.

Grandad Anthony Bainbridge, aged 49, of Esh Winning, County Durham died in a collision involving an empty coach, two HGVs and a car.

The incident happened at midday on Thursday, October 9.

In a tribute, his family said: "Anthony, a HGV driver for 25 years, was better known to his friends and family as ‘Bambi’. He was a father, step father, 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."