The devastated family of a graffiti-sprayer killed by a Tube train have described his death as a "pointless waste of life".

Dan Elgar, a 19-year-old father-of-one, of Boscombe Road, Southend, and Bradley Chapman, 21, from Chafford Hundred, died after being hit by a District Line train at Barking on Friday night.

The two men fled after being caught "bombing" the station with spray paint and ran into the path of the train. Dan left behind a girlfriend, Jodie Shea, 18, and a five-month-old boy.

Dan's father, Keith Elgar, told of the terrible moment officers from British Transport Police knocked on the door of the family home at 3am to tell them what had happened to their son.

Mr Elgar, a Southend branch representative of the Communication Workers' Union, said: "You just know at that time of the morning this is going to be bad news.

"It's something that's just a pointless waste of life."

Dan's mother, Vanessa, wept as she spoke of her "lovely" son.

She said: "I thought he was lovely because I'm his mum, but he did get into a lot of trouble - but nothing really bad, nothing serious.

"Everyone who knew him loved him. He had so many friends. He was different, he had a character of his own.

"He was one in a million and he really meant well.

"I love him and I miss him all the time."

Sue Murphy, headteacher at Shoebury High School, which Dan had attended, paid tribute to the popular pupil.

She said: "He was a lively character, well-liked by his peers and a keen sportsperson.

"His passing is a tragedy and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time."

Dan showed artistic skill while at Shoebury High School and drawings and paintings were the one thing he was good at, but his dad admitted he still found it hard to understand why he chose life as a graffiti vandal.

Mr Elgar said: "Maybe that's all a bit safe and maybe at his age he needed something that gave him some sort of risk factor.

"But we have got a memory now of Dan just on a dark grimy railway track."

He urged other vandals not to go out and spray tributes to their son, but instead to meet up and have a drink together to remember him.

Mr Elgar added: "I can't understand dying while spraying a railway track that's just going to get scrubbed off anyway."

Dan's girlfriend, Jodie, and the mother of his son, had a simple message for other graffiti vandals thinking of following in her boyfriend's dangerous footsteps.

She said: "Stay off the railway line."