TRIBUTES have been paid to a successful telecoms engineer who died in a crash involving three cars while working in Saudi Arabia.

Mike Marriott, 47, was taking a taxi ride back to a hotel last month and was due to prepare for a journey back home to his family in Rainford when the horrific crash happened

This week his wife Karen and father Bill, the former Conservative councillor for Windle, paid tribute to Mike, who had travelled the world during his career, which had seen him working on fibre optic submarine cable connections.

Bill, 76, said: "He had been away for nine weeks and was due to fly home for the First Holy Communion of his niece Charlotte.

"He was a brilliant son. I was going to take him to the Saints match against Bradford in the Challenge Cup.

"Karen had bought him a new Saints jersey as a birthday present and hoped he would be wearing it for that match. He was much-loved and will be sadly missed by all of us and the people of Rainford."

Mike lived in Eagle Crescent, Rainford, with his wife Karen, who is originally from New Jersey, America.

Karen said: "Mike loved to party and loved to work - he was very outgoing but also very hardworking.

"He loved meeting different people from different parts of the world - and had travelled to places across the world from Venezuela, to Chile, to the Middle East."