Father's heartbreak

Benjamin Pinkham, from Saltash, east Cornwall, died at Bristol's Frenchay Hospital on Saturday.

He was cleaning inside a 10-metre by six-metre tank at Princess Yachts in Plymouth last Monday when there was an explosion.

The inside of the tank became engulfed in a fireball said firefighters.

" The world has lost a lovely boy and somebody who may have made a difference "
Brian Pinkham

Brian Pinkham, 41, said of his son: "He could walk into a room with 100 people he had never met before and after he left he would have 100 friends. He just had that effect.

"The world has lost a lovely boy and somebody who may have made a difference."

Mr Pinkham praised the prompt action of a colleague who helped pull Ben from the burning tank.

And he thanked paramedics and hospital staff for their support.

"When he came to hospital he was conscious. He was still Ben.

"When his girlfriend arrived the first thing he said to her was: 'How did you get on in your exam today?'

"If it hadn't been for the prompt actions of everybody we may never have had that memory."

The incident is being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive.