One of Croydon Tramlink's biggest advocates has died following a car crash in Hertfordshire.

Tram enthusiast Stephen Parascandolo - founder of the popular Croydon Tramlink unofficial website - is thought to have been killed when his Vauxhall Signum crashed with a white Ford transit van last Wednesday morning, February 7, in Hitchin.

News of the 26-year-old qualified engineer's death was posted on his website later that evening.

Roger Harding, general manager of Tramtrack Croydon Limited which operates the Tramlink network, said: "It's so shocking to hear of young Stephen's death, we have not been able to stop thinking about it since.

"Stephen was featured on a television programme three or four years ago about his enthusiasm for Croydon's tram network, which I also appeared on.

"Without doubt he was a very bright young lad who did well at university and got a good job. When his tram website came on the scene it was so well put together that we had no idea it had been created by a young lad, who at that time was in his teens.

"We are considering what we might do to make sure Stephen's memory lives on - carrying on with his website is one option."

Mr Parascandolo grew up in West Wickham but moved to Stevenage in Hertfordshire last year to be nearer his work. He was passionate about trains and was well-known in Croydon for his unofficial Tramlink website, which sometimes caused controversy.

Peter Morgan, from the Croydon Road Users Forum, added: "While it was always clear that he was an enthusiastic supporter of trams, he was careful to provide accurate and broadly impartial reports and analysis, whether they were favourable or unfavourable to Tramlink."