Heartbroken relatives have paid tribute to a Birmingham taxi driver who they say suffered a fatal heart attack at the wheel - months before his wedding.

BirminghamLive reports that much-loved Arfan Sadiq, from Sparkhill, became engaged around eight weeks ago and was planning to tie the knot in February.

His family say the 46-year-old suffered a fatal heart attack at the wheel of his cab shortly after starting his shift on Friday20 November 20. The vehicle then crashed into a tree at the junction of Wake Green Road and Yardley Wood Road in Moseley.

Despite the best efforts of emergency services, the cabbie for A2B Taxis was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr Sadiq, who had worked for the cab firm for almost 20 years, had just started his 5am shift when he called his brother complaining of chest pains. Minutes later, he is understood to have suffered the heart attack at the wheel.

His devastated family described him as a ‘charitable and hardworking' man.

Brothers Umran and Akhtar said in a statement: “Arfan was a dear friend and a brother who was always helping anyone he could. He was very popular amongst his family, friends and work colleagues.

“He enjoyed his job, was a dedicated driver who worked hard to keep up with his mortgage. He was very charitable and in the last two to three weeks, he was collecting to get a mosque built in the remote area of Jammu Kashmir.

“He will be dearly missed and always be in the hearts of everyone he knew.”

His friend of 20 years Aftab Hussain, who is also a taxi driver, said: “He was great company, a great friend and he was just like a brother. I used to work in a different base opposite each other and we would normally see each other on the road and chat.

“He was a genuine man who wanted to make a living and a life. It’s a massive shock to his family who are close-knit.”

PHTM offers condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr Sadiq at this sad time.

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