British freerunner Nye Frankie Newman dies in 'accident' on Paris metro

Tributes have been paid to a British freerunner who died in an accident on the Paris metro on New Year's Day.

Nye Frankie Newman, from Guildford, has been described by members of his parkour group Brewman as an "inspirational" freerunner.

The 20-year-old regularly took part in the sport, which sees people climb and jump over obstacles and buildings in urban environments, and posted images of him leaping between buildings on his social media accounts.

Luke Stones, a member of the Brewman group, announced Mr Newman's death in "train accident" in a post on 1 January, and insisted his friend "wasn't train surfing as many of you assume".

He wrote: "Nye was an incredible human being who was always up for anything, he experienced things in his short life that many won't experience in their lifetimes."

Another member of the group, Rikkie Brewer, said Mr Newman was "the best human in the world" and "had such an attitude towards life that it impacted many other beings".

Brewman mourned the loss of a member of the team, writing on its Instagram page: "Even though we're one member down, this year is going to be bigger than ever for us!"

Two days before his death, Mr Newman posted a picture on Facebook which appeared to have been taken by him from the top of a railway bridge in Paris.

Last month, his parkour group was criticised by Paris transport network chiefs after posting a video showing members "surfing" a train over the Seine River.

Train surfing involves riding on the outside of a moving train.

Photographs on Mr Newman's social media accounts show him leaping between buildings in Hong Kong and somersaulting on the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.

A day before his death he posted on Facebook, saying that he'd had "a hectic year full of lots of mental memories".

He also listed the countries and cities he visited in 2016, including Greece, Switzerland, China, Hong Kong and the Netherlands, adding: "It's been a hectic year full of lots of mental memories and some unfortunate things like leaving the EU, but hopefully it will all only lead to a better future."