A PROMISING student who returned to his Brierfield home for the summer holidays has died after a car crash today.

Waqar Zulfiqar, 20, of Sackville Street, suffered serious injuries and died after the white Honda Civic he was driving hit parked cars and a wall in Barden Lane, Burnley, at 12.40am.

Fire crews cut Waqar and his passenger, a friend from Brierfield, from the vehicle.

The passenger was taken to Burnley General Hospital.

Waqar, a former Habergham High School pupil, had only recently returned home for the summer holidays from Leeds University.

He was studying for a business degree there.

He had been driving for three years, after passing his test first time when he was 17.

He was heading away from Burnley at the time of the crash.

His father, Zahid Hussain, said: "We don't really know what happened yet. Everyone's just very shocked.

"He was a very popular boy, very polite with a lot of friends.

"He was very happy and had a lot to look forward to."

Barden Lane was closed for five hours after the accident.

Insp Martin Hall, of Burnley Police, said: "The car was travelling down Barden Lane towards the Padiham bypass.

"When it crossed the canal bridge, the driver appears to have lost control, colliding with a number of parked cars and a wall.

"The car appears to have been travelling at excessive speed."