A family has paid tribute to a Teesside man who died after contracting a ‘serious’ infection from an unlicenced tattoo artist.

Police initially put out a warning at the beginning of the month warning customers of the danger of using an unlicenced tattoo artist.

A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: “Cleveland Police are warning the public of the dangers of unlicensed tattooists, following a recent case where a customer contracted a serious infection as a result of unhygienic equipment.”

Read more: Customer of Teesside tattooist contracts ‘serious infection'

The victim has now been named as 32-year-old Ben Larry who has been described by family as a ‘precious, adored and caring’ son.

The family of Mr Larry, who passed away on May 6, said: “Our precious, adored, kind and caring son was loved by everyone.  He touched so many hearts. 

“No parent should lose a child, no child should lose their Daddy and no grandparent should lose a grandchild. 

“Our hearts are broken, we are so lucky to have our two beautiful grandsons to keep his legacy and our memories of him alive.”