A DISTRAUGHT couple have spoken of the terrible loss of their teenage son who died after falling onto a live railway line.

Daniel Taylor, 17, was out with a friend when the tragedy happened at Eynsford Station, near Dartford. Despite courageous attempts by police to save him he later died in hospital.

Daniel was a student at Dartford Grammar School. His mother, Hilary, 46, of Station Road, Eynsford, said: “He was a computer wizard, loved to travel and packed so much into his 17 years. He loved being at home with us and was never a surly teenager. He was always polite and helpful.

“Daniel would have friends round to stay over and I would come down the stairs in the morning and there would be these little rows of teenagers. I thought I knew all of Daniel’s friends but it hasn’t been until now that we have realised how many people’s lives Daniel touched."

Daniel’s father David, 48, said: “He was a lot of fun to be around. He had a dry wit and he always put others first. He was a well-rounded boy with a zest for life. People would meet him once and want to be with him again."

Daniel, a talented rugby player, played for Blackheath Rugby Club from the age of six. He later went on to represent his county playing for the Kent Clubs under-17 squad.

Georgina, Daniel’s 14-year-old sister, said: “Dan was the one person everyone came to if they had a problem."