THE family of a 20-year-old man killed in a road collision near Bewdley have paid tribute to him.

James Davies, whose family live at Quatford, near Bridgnorth, and at Hall Green, Birmingham, was described as caring and fun-loving person who lived life to the full and would light up a room whenever he walked in.

Mr Davies died at just after 3am on Sunday when the black Renault Twingo he was driving left the A442 as he headed towards Bridgnorth and hit trees after plunging down a steep embankment.

He was still wearing his seatbelt when found by police but officers were unable to resuscitate him.

Mr Davies had worked for just over a year as a chef in the Toby Carvery at the Highwayman pub in Birmingham Road, Shenstone.

He split his time between his mother and grandparents' home in Quatford, near Bridgnorth, his father Mark's home in Hall Green and also stayed with his best friend Michael Angelides in Sutton Coldfield.

His mother Julie said today: "He lived his life to the full, was fun-loving and always had a smile on his face.

"He was only 20 but he jam-packed everything in. We have been touched by the hundreds of tributes to him on Facebook and I don't know how we would have coped without all the love and support of all James's friends who have come round to comfort us. The response has been overwhelming.

"Everyone has said they are going to miss his smile and personality. When he walked into a room it lit up. It's not until something like this happens that you realise how many lives he has touched.

"We are absolutely devastated and our lives will never be the same again. It's tragic."

She added the family was mystified as to why James was apparently on the way to Quatford when he died as he normally headed for Hall Green after working at Shenstone on a Saturday night.

"For some reason he was on his way here and we have to finish that journey," she said.

"That's why we are going to take him from here to the funeral in Telford and we will hold a memorial in Birmingham at a later date."

Michael Angelides said: "James was a bubbly person who always wanted to be around his friends and family. He had a caring and amazing personality and I don't know anyone who didn't like him after meeting him."

Mr Davies was born at Solihull, educated at Hill West Primary School and Arthur Terry School in Sutton Coldfield and at 17 was close to achieving his dream of serving in the Army with the 3rd Batallion the Mercian Regiment (Staffords).

However he was unable to continue after suffering a serious soccer injury during basic training at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate.

After starting a BTEC Public Service course at Sutton Coldfield College's Great Barr campus in 2008 he was offered a job at the Parson and Clerk hotel restaurant in Streetly.

He began training to be a chef there before being approached to work at the Highwayman's Toby Carvery. While there he passed a master carvery course and achieved an NVQ Level 2 catering qualification.

However he had been keen on art from an early age and set his heart on a career in art and graphic design. He was accepted for a course at Solihull College and was due to have started that on Wednesday.

In his spare time he enjoyed dancing, fishing with his father and grandfather on the Severn at Quatford and had also started golf lessons.

His funeral will be held at the Telford Crematorium in Woodhouse Lane, Red Hill, Telford, on Friday, September 30, at 1.30pm.

Police investigating Sunday's collision are still appealing for witnesses and anyone with information to contact them on 0300 333 3000, quoting incident reference 32-N-180911.