A YOUNG woman who was killed in a late-night car crash in Queensway Tunnel has been named as 22-year-old Paige Rice from Solihull, West Midlands.

Officers were contacted at 12.25am in the early hours of Sunday morning following reports an Audi S3, travelling towards Wirral, had been in a collision with a taxi inside the tunnel.

The male driver and female passenger of the Audi sustained multiple injuries and were transferred to hospital, where the woman, who is in her 20s, sadly died.

Officers have now confirmed the dead woman's name is Paige Rice.

The male driver, also in his 20s, remains in hospital in a critical condition.

The male taxi driver, a man in is 40s, suffered serious injuries and is also in hospital but his injuries are not life threatening.

Ms Rice's heartbroken mum took to social media to pay tribute to her daughter.

Posting on Ms Rice's Instagram page, her mother, said: “As most people are aware now, my beautiful baby girl Paige has passed away.

"She was involved in a tragic accident in the early hours and words can not describe how broken I am as her mum. I'm overwhelmed by the love being shown.

"She really was the most beautiful girl, with the biggest smile, a contagious laugh and heart of gold.

"If you was a friend of Paige she would love you with all she's got and she would be there in an instant if you ever needed her.

"She lived life to its fullest. She had big dreams and Paige always made things happen, her drive to succeed was inspirational.

"Paige has been my rock recently, I can barely breath right now and I don't know how to carry on.

"My house is quiet and all I want is to talk to her one last time. Time is so precious and we never know when our time is up. Love each other and tell each other. We will always be the three musketeers."

Queensway tunnel remained close for the majority of Sunday and did not reopen until the evening as officers dealt with the incident.

Matrix Inspector Mark Worrell said: “Our thoughts go out to the family of the woman who died and those who were injured in this collision.

“The incident is currently under investigation and I would ask anyone who saw anything prior to the collision which could assist our enquiries to get in touch.

“It is believed that prior to entering the tunnel the Audi had been in collision with another vehicle on the Hunter Street roundabout. We are currently examining a number of lines of enquiry.”

If you witnessed the incident or have any CCTV, dashcam or other footage, please contact call us on (0151) 777 5747, email: rpiu@merseyside.police.uk, or via @MerPolCC on Twitter, or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook, with reference 21000720520.