The family of a “beautiful, kind, and lovely boy” who died in a crash have paid tribute to him.

Sixteen-year-old Hector Eccles, from Worsthorne, died when the Polaris Ranger Farmbike he was driving came off the carriageway on Extwistle Road, Worsthorne, at 12.41am on Saturday (March 30).

His passenger, a 17-year-old from Burnley, was not seriously injured.

Ina tribute, Hector’s family wrote: “We would like to thank everyone for the kind words and sympathy over the last few days.

“This (pictured) is our Hector on his farm with his animals, where he loved to spend his time.

“Always happiest: on the farm, at Gisburn Auction, or with his friends and colleagues in Pendle Young Farmers.

“Hector will always be in our hearts and minds, we will always remember our beautiful, kind and lovely boy.”

Sgt Martin Wilcock, from the road policing unit, said: “This collision has resulted in a teenager losing his life and my thoughts remain with Hector’s loved ones at this difficult time.

“Having carried out extensive work to establish the circumstances of what led to the collision, we are satisfied this is no longer a criminal investigation and we are now carrying out enquiries on behalf of the coroner.

“With that in mind, I would ask any witnesses or anyone with dashcam covering the area around that time to contact the police.

“A family is grieving and I would ask the public – particularly those on social media – not to engage in any unhelpful, unnecessary and hurtful speculation.”

Witnesses or anyone with information should email sciu@lancashire.police.uk or call 101, quoting log 45 of March 30, 2024.