Heartfelt tributes have been paid to a “one of a kind” man who died following an incident at a County Durham railway station. 

Bouquets of flowers, notes, and balloons have been left at Chester-le-Street station following an incident on June 4.

British Transport Police previously confirmed a man had died - and he has now been named locally and online as Ben Whiteman. 

Hundreds of photos have also been pinned to the brickwork beside the station alongside an ‘RIP Ben’ number plate, candles, and drawings. 

Ben has been described online as a “dear friend to many” - with friends and family saying he was “one of a kind” and always had a “smile from ear to ear when he walked in the room”. 

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A GoFundMe page has since been set up, with the aim being to come together as a community and “provide some support for Ben’s family in this unthinkable difficult time”. 

Last night it was close to hitting its £10,000 target - with many people online praising the “unbelievable generosity” of the public after the tragic incident. 

The Northern Echo previously reported how police and paramedics were called to the station at about 10.45pm on June 4. Trains were stopped for several hours as a result.

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