Family tributes to men from Luton and Leighton Buzzard who lost their lives in 'awful' A5 crash near Heath and Reach

Tributes have been paid to four men who died following a road traffic collision on the A5 near Heath and Reach on Sunday.

Zahir Baig, Sahir Iqbal, Jason McGovern and Mohammed Uddin were all in the vehicle, a black BMW M5, when it was involved in a serious collision near the Flying Fox roundabout at around 3.40am on October 10. No other vehicles were involved in the incident which police have described as "tragic" and "awful" and which led to the car catching fire in a field.

The families of all four men have paid tribute to their loved ones, with the men having been formally identified yesterday (Wednesday).

The family of Zahir ‘Zeus’ Baig, 39, of Abigail Close, Luton, said: “We are absolutely devastated to have lost our heart and soul of the family.

“He was the head of our family, he was our 6ft 3ins shadow and protector. He was the best father, brother, son and uncle; someone that would do anything for his family.

“Zahir was truly one of a kind - unique and someone whose heart was so big and kind it was too big for his body.

“We ask you to pray for our brother and his friends who have so tragically lost their lives and we hope no other family has to go through this pain we are suffering today.

“We would like to thank you for all your messages of condolences, we have seen them all but as you can imagine it’s very difficult to send individual replies. We thank you and acknowledge you all.”

Sahir Iqbal, 39, of Trent Road, Luton, was described by his family as a precious son, brother, father and husband.

“He was the strength of our family, we will never forget the countless times he would run to our rescue no matter where or what he was doing,” they said.

“Our big brother. A father and son so full of love. His smile will be remembered by all.

“He was unique, unrefined and transparent and there was no other like him. Many may have a heart of gold, his was a heart of diamonds.

“We will never forget you, you are irreplaceable. So until we meet again, rest in peace.”

Jason ‘Jay’ McGovern, 46, of Roosevelt Avenue, Leighton Buzzard, was the son of Valerie Closs, father to Joe Jack and brother to Daniel Wilson.

In a statement his family said: “Jay was a man of many personalities. He was generous, funny and silly at times. He would do anything to help those he cared about.

“Jay had his faults but he was well loved by those who really knew him and regarded him as a friend.

“Jay will be truly missed, especially by his wife of two months and partner for 14 years Sharon McGovern, his step daughter Marcella Clarke and his granddaughter.”

The family of Mohammed Uddin, 41, of Biscot Road, Luton, said he was “a loyal man who always guarded his family and friends”.

They added: “A devoted father of four beautiful children and loved dearly by all of his family.

“A lion-hearted brother of the community who will be remembered for generations to come.”

Acting Sergeant David Burstow, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of all those who passed away in this tragic incident.

“The hurt and loss each of these families are feeling is clear from their tributes and we have specially trained officers supporting them however we can.

“I would also like to recognise the efforts of the police and firefighters who have worked so hard following this collision and who have gone about a really difficult job with the utmost skill and professionalism.

“While we have investigated this crash very thoroughly, if anyone does have any information which they feel could be relevant to our enquiries, please do get in touch.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police via the online reporting centre or call 101, quoting Operation Loddon. This includes an option to submit any dashcam footage online.