A DAD died after an M65 horror smash during icy conditions.

Mazhar Sharif Chaudhry, 29, from Fleet Street, Nelson, was the front-seat passenger in a Toyota Avensis driven by his brother-in-law which hit a bridge and a lamppost near Blackburn yesterday morning.

The crash happened just after a snow storm at 7am.

Friends paid tribute to Mr Chaudhry calling him a “lovable” family man, whose wife had recently given birth to his first child, a daughter.

Mr Chaudhry was on his way to Chorley where he worked as a taxi driver at the time of the crash with his brother-in-law Waseem Hussain, 24.

Mr Hussain was left with minor injuries.

The road had been gritted overnight at 1am by the Highways Agency but was not gritted again until 8am.

Gritting took place on the carriageway at 3pm on Tuesday and at 1am and 8am yesterday.

They said the 1am gritting run was timed to coincide with a forecasted drop in temperatures at 4am.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency, which is responsible for England's motorways and major A roads, said: “We work closely with the Met Office and have staff from the Met Office based at our National Traffic Control Centre to ensure we have the best information for road users.”

Police Sergeant Ian Milnes said investigations into the cause of the crash will centre on the weather conditions at the time on the motorway.

The accident happened on the westbound carriageway, just past junction six, and saw both lanes of the M65 closed until 11.10am.

Sgt Milnes said it appeared that Mr Hussain had lost control of the vehicle and no other cars were involved.

He said: “As I try to establish what happened I would appeal for anyone who witnessed the collision to contact us.

"We currently have officers with the family supporting them through this difficult time.”

Police said Mr Chaudhry was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital but died of multiple injuries.

His funeral is now being planned for as soon as his body is released by the authorities.

He will then be flown home to Pakistan, where his parents live, for burial.

Coun Mohammed Iqbal was a close family friend of Mr Chaudhry.

He said: “Mazhar was a fantastic lad and his death has devastated all those who knew him.

"He was very well known in the community since moving here from Pakistan five years ago.

“He was happily married to Cahira and had a six-month-old old daughter.”