FRIENDS will pay tribute to motorway accident victim David Clarke by holding a charity night in his memory.

Squeak, as he was known, died on January 11 when his van crashed between junctions eight and nine of the M5, near Tewkesbury.

It is thought he was on his way back to Tewkesbury to be ready to work the next day at the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency, Ashchurch.

The 37-year-old had been working on military vehicles, as an engineer with the WJS firm for three years.

Friend Penny Evans is organising the event, which is being held at The Northway pub, where she works as a barmaid, on March 19.

From 7pm onwards, there will be a raffle, a guess the bear's name contest, bingo, a quiz, disco and karaoke.

She said: "I would like to raise as much money as we can – maybe between £500 and £1,000 – for Help for Heroes. Squeak supported the charity and I'm selling the Help for Heroes wristbands, too."

Penny said Help for Heroes, which supports injured British troops, would be also be apt because of the work Squeak did for the military.

She said his death had stunned everyone who knew him in the Tewkesbury area.

Although he was from Staffordshire and his two teenage children lived away with their mother, he lived in Tewkesbury in the week because of his work.

He got to know people, such as Penny, through drinking in local pubs.

She remembers the awful moment when it was confirmed that he had died.

She said: "I had to leave work and go home. It wasn't very nice finding out your friend had died. I'm still very upset. He spoke to everyone. He was just a very bubbly, fun person to be around.

"He was very loud. You knew if he was in the room because he was laughing."

Mystery still surrounds what happened to Squeak, as he had been known since he was a teenager.

The accident happened at 1.30am and led to his vehicle being badly damaged by fire. Police do not believe any other vehicle was involved.

A spokeswoman for the coroner's office said the cause of death had yet to be established. She said it could be "some time" until a full inquest would be held because police investigations were continuing.

Squeak, from Cellarhead in Staffordshire, was identified by DNA comparison.