THE DEVASTATED parents of a teenager killed on her way home from a party have paid tribute to their beautiful and intelligent' daughter.

Eighteen-year-old Eluned Cleverley died in the early hours of Saturday morning when she was struck by an unoccupied parked car shunted onto the pavement in Seabank Road, Wallasey, by a Mercedes van.

Twenty-four-year-old Polish national Lucas Sonta, of Trafalgar Road, Wallasey, has been charged with causing her death by driving without due care and attention and after having drunk over the legal limit.

Sonta, a carpenter, has lived in the UK for three-and-a-half years and has been in Merseyside for six months.

He has been remanded in custody for a preliminary hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on August 24.

The art student was on her way home to Meols from an 18th birthday party and had called her parents at 1.30am to see if they could pick her up.

Her mum, Ann, said that she and husband Edward often acted as a taxi service for their teenage daughter but were unable to give her a lift on this occasion as they had already had a drink.

Fifty-one-year-old Ann, a systems analyst, said she told her daughter that they had had a couple of glasses of wine at home and that it didn't feel right to come out and get her.

Former West Kirby Grammar School pupil Eluned told her mum she would get a taxi from a friend's house and called off saying: "I love you."

Twenty minutes later, having left the party on foot, Eluned was struck by the car.

A 20-year-old male friend who had accompanied her suffered minor injuries and is recovering in Arrowe Park Hospital. The accident happened just yards from his home.

Nicknamed Nin by her family, Eluned had just finished her A-levels and was due to start an art and design foundation course at West Cheshire College in Ellesmere Port.

Her family described her as a young woman who had so much ahead of her, who as a youngster swam competitively for Woodchurch Swimming Club and who had recently started working weekends at Homebase in Upton.

In a joint statement, her mum, dad, 13-year-old sister Carys and Aunt Linda said: "Eluned was a beautiful, intelligent girl, full of life and so happy.

"Wherever she went she would be impeccably dressed, with an eye for style and individuality. She was in the middle of helping us redesign our kitchen, and excited about starting her art foundation course in September."

Her family also spoke of the 18-year-old being a young girl at heart with a love for Disney and of her delight in wearing fancy dress costumes - her favourite being a fairy's outfit.

Describing Eluned as "incredibly popular" they thanked her friends for offering the family so much support.

"We've been so impressed and touched by the huge number of her friends who've contacted us and been rallying round to help.

"They've been a real inspiration to us, showing maturity and compassion, and helping us through this very difficult time.

"We'll all remember Nin for her individuality, her artistic talent, her beauty and her love of her friends and family. She was loved by us all and will be greatly missed."