THE heartbroken mother of Craig Jones has paid tribute to her “beautiful son” who died after falling down a lift shaft.

Samantha Jones says life for the people who knew her son has been “full of sadness and tears” since his death on Saturday.

Mr Jones suffered fatal injuries after falling five floors down the shaft in Marsden House in Bolton town centre.

Mrs Jones said: “From the moment Craig was born he was loved by everyone.

“He was such a gorgeous child that it just came naturally to us all to call him ‘Gorgeous’ instead of Craig.”

Friends and family gathered at Mr Jones’ regular The Blue Boar to celebrate his life on Wednesday.

His mother added: “We had so many laughs and stories to tell as Craig grew from a funny, loving and gentle child into a beautiful man, both inside and out.

“Life with Craig was full of laughter and love. Life without him will be full of sadness and tears.”

The 27-year-old, nicknamed Pugsley, was eldest of four siblings and had worked as a plasterer since he left school.

His sister Fiona Jones, aged 21, said: “We all thought the world of Craig. He always looked after us no matter what and we will miss him more than anything.”

Friends of Mr Jones said on Wednesday they wanted to celebrate his “magnetic” personality.

His flatmate Harry Burns said: “I’d known him since he was 12 and lived with him for four years. You would only needed to have met him for one minute to be instantly drawn to him.

“No matter how you were feeling, he would always be able to pick you up — just by being himself.

“At the moment we are still devastated but we want to celebrate all of the positive things about his life.”

Daniel Berry, another close friend of Mr Jones, added: “He was so funny and had such a random sense of humour.

“He was a solid rock as a friend and we will all miss him terribly.”

He and a friend were trapped in the broken-down lift between the fourth and fifth floors, and it is thought they prised the doors open when nothing happened after they sounded the alarm.

Emergency services were called to the flats at 4.50pm on Saturday, and Mr Jones was rushed to Salford Royal Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about five hours later.

Police say there are no suspicious circumstances and have passed the matter to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).