A heartbroken mother has paid tribute to her "funny, loving and cheeky" partner after he was killed in a horrific head-on collision.

Stef Hayles died following a two-car crash in Dover that also took the life of another driver, as well as injuring a third man.

The father of two, who lived in Hawkinge, had been travelling to work when the Ford transit van he was driving was involved in a collision with a grey BMW 120d on Folkestone Road at around 5.10am on Monday.

His partner, Sharne Matthews, said that the "amazing" 30-year-old was "simply the best dad" who lived for their two children, Jaycee-Rae and Reggie.

"The kids were his whole life and he dedicated every minute to them. He was absolutely amazing," she added.

"He absolutely had a laugh – he was the biggest joker – but the truth was he would do anything for anyone.

"He was my best friend, and had a heart of pure gold."

Mr Hayles was a civil engineer, and was said to be popular with everyone who worked alongside him.

"I used to call him a shovel monkey to wind him up," said Ms Matthews, who has been his partner for more than 10 years.

"But he was such a hard worker and took so much pride in his work.

"It didn't matter how long he worked at one place, wherever he went he picked up friends that stuck with him forever."

The couple had been together for more than 10 years, after meeting through mutual friends.

"For me, it was the classic, cringey instant love – he just had a way about him," she explained.

"We were both in the back of a mutual friend's car and after talking for a while, he looked at me and said 'give me your number then!'

"It was unusual, but it worked and we never looked back!"

Following the tragic crash on Monday, tributes to Mr Hayles flooded social media, with many paying tribute to the "absolute legend".

A fundraiser has been set up for his family, which has raised more than £2,000 in just over 24 hours.

Ms Matthews said the number of tributes spoke to "the impact he had on everyone that he met".

"It speaks volumes, he really was loved by every person that knew him," she added.

"I haven't been able to read even a quarter of the messages that I've been sent and seen online just because of the sheer volume of them.

"If I said there were hundreds I would probably be playing it down."

Tributes were left at the scene for Mr Hayles, as well as the driver of the BMW, John Butterworth, who also sadly died.

To view or donate to the fundraiser, click here.

Police are continuing to investigate the crash and are appealing for any witnesses, drivers with dashcam footage, or anyone who has useful information about the incident to get in contact.

Anyone with information should call the SCIU appeal line on 01622 798538, or email sciu.td@kent.police.uk, quoting reference RY/LB/016/23.

Drivers with dashcam and residents with CCTV that may assist can upload the footage using this link