TRIBUTES have been paid to a 'cheeky chap with a heart of gold' who died in a crash on St Peter's Way.

Dean Gray, aged 29, was killed in the collision in the early hours of Sunday when the green BMW he was driving left the road and collided with the barriers, a lamppost and several trees.

He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near the Kearsley junction on the Manchester-bound carriageway.

Mr Gray's mother has paid tribute to her son. She said: “Dean was a cheeky chap with a heart of gold, I can’t believe my boy has gone. He was my life, my world, my everything.

“He loved fast cars and he loved his music, especially UB40 and Tupac. He was a much loved son, brother, nephew and cousin.

“Good night, God bless from the bottom of my heart.”

Mr Gray is believed to have been living with his mother in Middleton, but spent a lot of his life in Bolton and his family are from the area.

He was driving home from visiting his close friends Jackie Smith and Heath Waring, who lived in Shurmer Street in Daubhill, when the crash happened.

He had known them since he was 14 years old when he lived in Briercliffe Road in Deane.

After the couple moved to the street, they struck up a friendship with the teenager.

On the night of the crash he had called on them at 9pm and was still there when Miss Smith went to bed at 11.40pm.

She said that when he left, he hugged Mr Waring goodbye and strapped in a pitbull mastiff dog that he had with him before fastening his own seatbelt.

Mr Gray, who was unemployed, left the house at about 12.30am and the crash happened 20 minutes later.

Miss Smith, aged 50, said: "We took him under our wing. He was a loveable rogue. He didn't really get into any trouble.

"I don't think he had any enemies. He had a lot of friends and family. It is just so sad.

"Lots of people have written to me. We are all heartbroken. Everyone I have spoken is heartbroken."

Laura Sheehy had known Mr Gray for a number of years and said he was well known in the Deane area.

She said: "He is one of those who you see and then you don't see him for ages.

"I couldn't believe it when I got the phone call saying Dean had been killed.

"It is just a big shock. He was a big character. It is just really horrible.

"I had been talking to him on Facebook just last week.

"When he called into your house he would light the room up. He was just such a big character."

Tributes have flooded into Mr Gray on social media and people have also been offering their condolences to his family.

Posting on Facebook, Claire Walker said: "He sounded like a nice guy. Such a shame to go at such a young age."

Sarah Smith added: "RIP Dean, so sad to be reading this."

Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses and dashcam footage of the crash.

Sergeant Lee Westhead from GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: "My thoughts continue to be with Dean’s family at this devastating time.

“We need to know exactly what happened and I would urge anyone who was driving on that road around the time of the collision to please contact us.”

There was a large police presence at the scene of the crash, which happened at around 1am, and the road was closed until 6am.

Information can be passed on by calling SCIU on 0161 856 4741.