THE family of a man whose life was tragically cut short after a motorbike crash in Cambodia have paid tribute to him.

Phil Powell died in the early hours of Saturday morning when his Air Blade motorcycle crashed into a stone wall in the Sihanouk Province, in the west of the country.

Now his Parkstone family have paid tribute to their “ever-smiling” and “warm-hearted” relative.

And they are looking for any donations to help repatriate Mr Powell from Cambodia having been quoted upwards of £8,000 to bring him home. The Facebook group In Memory of Phil Powell has also been set up.

Born in South Wales, he moved with his family - mum Maureen, dad Michael John and sister Emma - to Poole when he was seven. He went to Seldown Secondary Boys School before moving to Ashdown School.

A carpenter by trade, he was very good at making things, his mother said, recalling a cleverly designed bookshelf that imitated waves. As well as crafting, he was also somewhat of an entertainer as he juggled and even took part in a bit of flame-throwing and fire-breathing.

The father-of-one’s love for Cambodia began when he and a friend went out there to build a children’s playhouse, she said. And from there he visited more and more before eventually moving there two years ago.

His aunt, Frances Smith, called him “a charmer”.

“He had the gift of the gab. He was always smiling,” she said. “He was so laid back. Just a very nice young man.”

“And everyone has said all the same things about him,” Maureen added.

Emma’s son Joshua, 19, said Phil “lived every second as though it was his last” - a mantra he told his nephew to live by.

Phil’s father, Michael John, thanked the Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood for his help during the family’s difficult time.