Colleagues of a teenager who worked at a Bricket Wood paintball centre have described him as "an amazing young man" following his death.

Christopher Johnstone, who worked in the Paintball Pro Training Centre, passed away on November 27. Circumstances surrounding his death are still being established.

Tributes to the 19-year-old, from professional paintballers as far away as South Africa and America, have been posted on the social networking site Facebook.

Richard Ashton has worked as site manager of the Lye Lane centre for eight years.

Speaking to the St Albans Review, he said: "This was his second home. We’re like a family, a very close knit group, and it has hit us very hard."

Mr Johnstone worked as the assistant manager of the pro centre, looking after the playing field and the players.

The site in Bricket Wood is one of only two in the country where professional paintball players come from all over the world to compete.

Mr Ashton said: "We’ve had floods of messages on our Facebook page from all the teams, from Spain, America, South Africa, all the people who have met him when they’ve come over for international competitions.

"He started playing when he was 13, and then began helping around the site when he was 14, before he progressed into wanting to know more.

"I’ve lost an absolute arm and a leg, he was so helpful. I could just leave him to run the place. I took him under my wing, he was very shy but a lovely kid.

"As soon as you got to know him he would open up and was just hilarious.

"He concentrated on new players coming in and giving people advice and his knowledge. Paintball gave him a direction."

The club will be holding a remembrance ceremony for him this weekend, at the last leg of the Bricket Wood winter league pro series.

Mr Ashton added: "It was an absolute pride to know him, a pleasure. He was the most amazing young man."

Christopher Johnstone’s funeral will be on December 10 at West Herts Crematorium in Garston, Watford.

Some of his friends from the paintball world will be wearing their hats and team colours in memorial.