Parents' heartbreak as son, seven, is killed by neighbour's car while playing on driveway

Charlie Liversidge, who is thought to have been partially hidden from view by a dip in the ground, was trapped under the vehicle's wheels and had to be freed by fire crews.

The youngster, who would have been eight next week, was rushed to hospital but had suffered severe head injuries and was pronounced dead soon afterwards.

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'Cheeky, energetic and fabulous': Parents' tribute to car death victim Charlie Liversidge, seven

Today his devastated parents paid tribute to "a cheeky, energetic and fabulous son", while neighbours said they had long feared an accident on the street, where tree-lined driveways open out onto a busy road.

Charlie is thought to have been playing in the next driveway along from his parents' £250,000 semi-detached house in Dore, a suburb of Sheffield, at about 7pm on Monday when he was hit.

Their neighbour is thought to have pulled into the steeply sloping driveway and failed to see the schoolboy, who went under the wheels.

Charlie's horrified father Andrew, 44, the managing director of a tool-making business, desperately tried to free his son, but was forced to wait for emergency services to arrive.

Fire crews used airbags to lift the front of the car off him and he was taken to Sheffield Children's Hospital with severe head injuries, but was later pronounced dead.

Police have said that at this stage they are treating his death as a tragic accident but have not ruled out making arrests.

Today Mr Liversidge and his wife, Jo, 43, paid an emotional tribute to their son, who was a Sheffield United fan and attended Penny Acres Primary School in nearby Holmesfield.

They said that along with his three sisters, "Charlie was the love of our lives".

"He was a beautiful boy who inspired others to laugh, love and care about life.

"He was a cheeky, energetic and fabulous son, brother and grandson who will be missed so desperately by so many."

Between them the couple have three daughters, Jessica and Gabriella, both 20, and Olivia, 17, by previous marriages.

Mr Liversidge runs Sheffield-based Tool and Steel Products Ltd.

His father, Doug, a former British Steel executive, is a past holder of the title South Yorkshire Businessman of the Year and was awarded the CBE in 2000 for services to industry.

Mr Liversidge Sr's second wife, Pam, was the first female president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and holds an OBE for her contribution to the profession, as well as being a deputy lieutenant of South Yorkshire.

A neighbour said: "He was a lovely lad, it's absolutely dreadful. His parents must be absolutely distraught, particularly as it happened right in front of their house."

Another said: "This is a really busy road with steep, shaded driveways opening straight out onto the pavement - I've been worried for a long time that there could be a horrible accident."

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police said: "Early indications are that this was a tragic accident, but we have to keep an open mind until our investigations have been completed."