THE son of a Vauxhall Motors worker and his friend have died in a car crash.

Alex Cole, 19, whose father works at the Ellesmere Port car plant, and Sam Bencheikh, 18, were driving back from a night out with friends in Liverpool.

Their car hit a lamppost on the M53 exit slip-road at Moreton Spur, Wirral, and overturned at 2.50am on Sunday.

Alex, from Moreton, had been driving, while Sam, of Greasby, was the front-seat passenger.

Three friends aged between 17-23, who were in the back of the Vauxhall Astra, are recovering in hospital after suffering minor injuries.

Alex was the only child of Phil Cole, 50, a forklift truck driver at Vauxhall, and Bernadette, 51.