A MAN who died after a car crash had picked up his first pay packet for two years just two days before the tragic accident, his grieving sister said last night.

Tony Lewis , 52, of Pant View, Nantyglo, died when his Nissan Prairie was in collision with a Vauxhall Cavalier at 1.20am on Sunday at the roundabout between Dowlais Top and Rhymney.

His two friends, who had accompanied Mr Lewis to Swansea on a fishing trip, escaped with minor injuries, while the driver of the Cavalier remains in a "serious condition" at the Prince Charles Hospital, in Merthyr Tydfil.

His older sister by just 11 months, Sandra Jones, 53, also of Pant View, said her brother was looking forward to the future after fighting back from unemployment.

She said: "He was a happy-go-lucky man and if he could do someone a good turn he would do it.

"He had only just found himself a job after being out of work for two years. He collected his first wage packet last Friday and was just starting to get back on his feet when this accident happened."

Ms Jones said she thought of her brother as a twin because of the small age gap between them.

She said: "Every Sunday I always make around ten dinners for the family, but I couldn't go through with it this weekend because I couldn't get over the fact that Tony wouldn't be here to have his.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet that Tony is dead, to be honest. We are a very close family and we had only just got over losing our sister, Shirley Hillman, to long-term illness two years ago, when she was only 55."

Mr Lewis was a bachelor and lived with his brother, Norman, in the house where their mother, Irene Lewis, lived until her death from lung cancer 15 years ago.

Mr Lewis was a keen fisherman and car enthusiast who had been a miner in Six Bells colliery until it closed.

Ms Jones now says she is trying to stay focused over the coming week in order to organise her brother's funeral.

She said Gwent Police had been "marvellous" to her family, as had residents on the Coedcae housing estate where she lives.

She said: "I've had so many neighbours coming around, bringing flowers and asking if they can do things around the house, like the washing up. This is and always has been a lovely community. My family have been wonderful as well, and we are all pulling together."

Gwent Police are urging witnesses to the crash to come forward. Anyone with information should contact detectives on 01633 838111.