Loved ones heartbroken by the death of their sons in a horrific accident near Calne at the weekend have paid tribute to the four young men.

The families of Ryan Nelson, 20, Corey Owen, 19, Matthew Parke, 19, and Jordan Rawlings, 20, have shared their memories of the four friends from Calne.

Family of Ryan said: "Ryan, our ray of sunshine. He lightened up everyone's life, a truly wonderful gentleman, so polite with lovely morals.

"Ryan worked in Tesco. He loved it there as he was with his friends. He was a massive football fan. He supported Aldershot Town FC and Manchester United. He was a very talented DJ, it was something he wished to pursue in the future.

"Ryan was loved by everyone. He has the most beautiful soul. So handsome, he loved all his designer gear, had so much pride. Our lives are empty without him. Our precious, precious boy xxxxxxx"

Family of Corey said: "Our cherished precious son, brother, grandson and nephew, taken from us so tragically. He was the most kind and loving young man, loved and adored by his family, brother, little sisters, girlfriend and his friends. He had such a happy, easy going nature, he was so popular and loved dearly by everyone, so so many people thought the world of him.

"Having recently passed his college course he was looking ahead to university, with hope for a bright future filled with such potential, love and happiness. His loss will leave a huge gap in all our lives forever. We are utterly devastated.

"Please allow us to grieve in private. Thank you."

Family of Matthew said: "Matthew William Parke, known as Mattie to us his family, and known as Matt to his friends.

"Mattie was a very happy boy – he woke up every day with a smile on his face. He was never sad. He was enthusiastic about everything in life, full of energy, confident and outgoing. He always had somewhere to go, somewhere to be, someone to see. He also had a wicked sense of humour.

"He was extremely sociable and loved going out with his very wide circle of friends – they meant so much to him and he loved them as if they were his family. Many of them had known Mattie for much of his life and these were bonds that could never be broken.

"He played hard and he worked hard. We were so proud of the fact that he really focused on his studies and always did his very best. He achieved 10 GCSEs and 3 A-levels. After completing his A-levels last summer, he went to Swansea University to start his degree in Business Management. He had a ball and made even more good friends. He was excited that he was due to be returning to Swansea at the beginning of September and had already got a house lined up that he was going to be sharing with seven of his university friends.

"His life may have been short – he was just 19 years old – but he packed so much into those years he really did.

"We as a family are utterly devastated to lose our beautiful, precious boy as are so many others who played a part in his life."

Family of Jordan said: "Jordan was a ray of sunshine, who always had a cheeky smile, a wicked sense of humour and a contagious laugh that would put a smile on everybody's face.

"The loss of our beautiful son/brother/grandson/nephew and cousin has left a hole in all of our hearts, but we were proud as a family to have had him in our lives.

"We would just like to thank the emergency services and everyone who was involved in this tragic loss of these four young men. Our hearts go out to the other families and all their friends. It is apparent from all the kind messages and condolences that Jordan, Matt, Corey and Ryan have touched many people's hearts within their short lives.

"We are lost and devastated with the passing of our beautiful boy but we know he will always be with us and would just like to be able to grieve as a family in peace."

All four men died at the scene following a collision on the A4 at Derry Hill at approximately 3am on Sunday morning and the investigation into the cause of the crash remains ongoing.

Inspector Mark Freeman, from Wiltshire Police’s roads policing unit, said: "The collision on Sunday was a truly tragic incident and I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the families of Ryan, Corey, Matthew and Jordan.

"Four families have been left devastated, losing young men who were just starting their adult lives and our thoughts are with them all at this difficult time.

"I know that this tragedy has also had a huge impact on the town of Calne and those first to respond to the incident. The local community has pulled together to provide each other with the necessary support.

"Investigations of this nature are understandably complex and we have a team of collision investigators carrying out thorough enquiries to understand exactly what happened.

"We have already spoken to a number of witnesses, but if you have any information which you think could assist us then we would urge you to call us."

Anyone with information should call Wiltshire Police on 101, quoting reference 54200081649.