The family of a British father and two children killed in a car crash in France on Sunday said their lives "have been torn apart".

John William Crompton, 31, his daughter Evie-Lily Crompton, 4, and Morgan Christian Lund, 9 - the son of his partner - died near Beaurepaire-en-Bresse, eastern France.

Mr Crompton, from Hartlepool, was driving at the time of the crash and had to be cut from the wreckage of the family Nissan. He suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after he was freed.

The two children who died are thought to have been thrown from the vehicle, which is reported to have hit a barrier.

Mr Crompton's partner Makayla Louise Lund, 25, and the couple's son Kyle Lucas Crompton, 2, remain in "serious" conditions in hospital following the crash.

In a statement, his family said: "Our lives have been torn apart and will never be the same again. We have lost the heart of our family".