Police have confirmed a 17-year-old has died after a concrete pipe fell on him while he was working at a building site.

Shay Bladen was seriously injured at the 368-homes Sniperley Park DH1 homes development last Thursday afternoon.

He was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle where Durham Constabulary has now confirmed he died on Friday.

“We love you and seeing how highly everyone speaks about you just shows the type of person you were.

“Our handsome brown-eyed boy – forever 17.”

Det Ch Insp Andy Crowe said: “This has been a truly tragic incident and I would like to offer Shay’s family and friends the sincere condolences of everyone at Durham Constabulary.

“We are carrying out a joint investigation with our colleagues at the Health and Safety Executive to determine the exact circumstances as to how this tragedy unfolded.”