Tributes have been paid to a mum and her daughter after they were found dead in a burger van.
Leah Churchill, 50, and 17-year-old Brooke Wanstall were found in the vehicle on a road in Whitstable, Kent, on Tuesday morning.
Brooke's brother Tyla Wanstall told how he turned up at the Meat 'N' Greet snack truck to find them both.
It's understood the two suffered carbon monoxide poisoning from generator fumes while decorating the wagon for Tyla's 26th birthday.
"They were decking the van out inside in balloons and bunting as a birthday surprise for me, like my mum would do at home every year," he said.
He told KentOnline how he opened the van door, initially thinking they were asleep.
"I smelt fumes but it just didn't register straight away, but it became obvious they were both dead.
"I called the police and ambulance but it was the firefighters who told me it was likely carbon monoxide poisoning."
The 26-year-old said he was "heartbroken" to think the mum and daughter duo had spent their final moments "trying to put a smile on my face".
Leah, from Canterbury, had two other children and had been helping Tyla with his takeaway van two days a week, he said.
His sister, he added, had just recently left school after finishing her GCSEs.
"She had her whole life in front of her," he said.
"She did really well in her grades and had just started work as a carer, which she was really enjoying. She was also due to take her driving test next week."
Carbon monoxide killed 116 people in the UK in 2020, the most recent data from the ONS shows.
Tyla added: "Be aware of this thing, people. If you haven’t got a carbon monoxide alarm go and get one. It is a serious killer.
"I don’t know how we're ever going to get over this."
Files on Leah and Brooke's deaths are expected to be passed to the local coroner.
