MURDERED teenager Luke Bellfield has left a “huge hole” in the lives of his family as they struggle to get to grips with his death six months on.

The Bellfields have now spoken to the Echo to pay tribute to their beloved son, who was fatally stabbed in the heart in Old Leigh in February.

Luke was involved in a confrontation with three men on February 26, in which all four were carrying weapons and were known to each other.

Luke’s mum, Rowena, from Leigh, has spoken out over how the 18-year-old, a keen boxer in Hockley, holds a special place in their heart.

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She said: “He’s left a massive hole in our lives.

“We’ve been really struggling.

“We miss him every day.

“It broke our hearts.

“It’s really tough at the moment, especially where we haven’t got answers.

“He was working with his dad every day in London and just wanted to get his head down.

“He was really keen on his boxing and staying fit.

“We all knew what he was like, he just tried to stay out of trouble.

“We’ve lived in Leigh our whole lives.

“It was lovely to see everyone saying nice things about him and paying tribute to him.”

A shrine for Luke was set up in Old Leigh, which featured notes and tributes from friends and family.

No one has yet been charged with Luke’s murder.

Five other people were arrested in connection with the “extensive investigation.”

Essex Police confirmed there was a lack of evidence to bring a murder charge, with officers still enquiring into other offences.

Two men arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm remain on bail.

Two men and a woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender remain released under investigation.

Following Luke’s murder, additional CCTV and a safety team were placed in Old Leigh.

Essex Police confirmed there was a lack of evidence to bring a murder charge, with officers still enquiring into other offences.

Southend district commander Chief Inspector Ian Hughes said: “We have been relentlessly working with our partners and the community to drive down violent crime in Leigh and Southend, through prevention and enforcement.

“We have focused extra patrols in areas where we have identified issues with violent and drug related crime and anti-social behaviour and have been targeting the small number of individuals who are behind these incidents.”