A 13-year-old boy who was so happy and full of life that his family nicknamed him 'Sparky' has died after a car crash in Italy.

Dale Paterson, from Abingdon, was on holiday with his mother Helen and his younger brother in the southern province of Pescara when the tragedy happened.

He was rescued from the car and taken to hospital, but died on Thursday, August 18, three days after the accident.

Dale's father Rob, an Oxfordshire firefighter who until recently was stationed in Abingdon, said his son was "always happy" and "always wanted something fun to be happening".

He likened him to the cheeky cartoon character Bart Simpson, star of the American hit television series The Simpsons, and said he was "full of life".

The family is still waiting for Dale's body to be flown back from Italy, but Mr Paterson said that once this had happened, they would be holding a service in Abingdon to celebrate his life.

As well as his younger brother, Dale also had an older brother and sister, who live in Abingdon.

Mr Paterson, who also lives in Abingdon, said his son's death would leave a "massive void" in the lives of his family, friends and schoolmates at John Mason School, in Wootton Road, Abingdon.

He added: "Dale used to be a little live wire when he was younger, and that's where the name Sparky first came from. I still called him it, because he was so happy and bubbly -- he always had a spark in his engine and wanted something fun to be happening. He was just so alive."

Mr Paterson said his family were finding it difficult to come to terms with the loss, but his colleagues at work had rallied round, along with friends, to create a "huge support cushion" to offer comfort.

He said: "I can't believe how people have reacted and I'm so grateful. I just don't know how people cope when something like this happens without this level of support, and that's what's keeping me going at the moment."

The accident is believed to have happened in a remote part of Pescara and no details have yet emerged as to what caused it.