A MAN has given an emotional tribute to the fiancee who was tragically killed when a lorry toppled onto her car in Birkenhead.

Lesley Clark, aged 30, was killed instantly when the 20-ton truck crushed her Vauxhall Corsa in Chester Street, Birkenhead, at about 4pm last Wednesday.

Her fiance Jamie Powell, from Neston, said: "Lesley was full of life and just enjoyed living." Following leap year traditions, she had asked him to marry her on February 29, 2000.

Jamie, a 36-year-old electrical engineer, said: "It was her dream throughout all her life to get married on a beach. It was only on Saturday night that we'd agreed to get married in Antigua at the end of June."

Lesley was born in Edinburgh and met Jamie at a friend's engagement party. She moved from Scotland to Wirral in August to live with him in Neston after getting a job with the Child Support Agency in Birkenhead.

The couple were due to meet on the Wednesday evening to go to the ladies' darts night at the Royal Oak, in Little Neston, where Lesley had made friends.

Jamie had tried to contact her on her mobile and at the pub that evening before Merseyside Police's family liaison officer called at their house to tell him the tragic news. The last time they saw each other was the Wednesday morning before they went to work.

Lesley's funeral will be held in Scotland.

Acting Sergeant Alan Foster said that the 49 year-old driver of the truck was from Moreton. He was taken to Arrowe Park Hospital suffering from shock and bruising after the incident.

The lorry was being driven from a depot in Wallasey to a landfill site in Bromborough for a waste disposal company.

Sergeant Foster said: "The police inquiries are still in their early stages. All aspects of the collision will be looked at, including the road surface and the load of the vehicle."

A similar incident took place on the site two years ago and police are to investigate the similarities.

Commenting on the scene of the accident, Sergeant Foster added: "Certainly, on arrival, is was quite horrendous to see the vehicle on its side."

Anyone who was in the vicinity of Chester Street, Birkenhead, at the time of the accident who has information should contact the police on 777-5730.