Approximately 100 distraught family and friends arrived at the scene where three schoolboys were mowed down by an out of control Audi.

The three boys were named locally as Harry Rice, Josh Kennedy and George Wilkinson.

Crying teens and their parents were seen hugging each other by the roadside at the M4 junction 4 and laid dozens of flowers with notes and pictures.

At one stage the devastated schoolchildren filled the middle of the road and set off balloons to remember their colleagues.

Alongside dozens of bouquets of flowers teens placed balloons, Arsenal memorabilia and lit candles at the scene.

Harry Rice, 16, (left) and George Wilkinson, 16, (right) were killed when a black Audi ploughed into them as they made their way to a 16th birthday party

A picture of 17-year-old Josh Kennedy, who was named locally as the third victim of the fatal crash, was laid at the site of last night's collision

Teens were reluctant to talk but left messages expressing sorrow and said 'Josh, we love and miss you so much.'

The three boys were last night making their way to a 16th birthday party when they were struck by the out-of-control vehicle.

Police were called to Shepiston Lane in Hayes, west London, at 8.41pm last night following reports of the horror crash.

Despite the efforts of paramedics, the three boys were pronounced dead at the scene.

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Harry's devastated mother and sister paid tribute to him on Facebook by changing their profile pictures to photos of the smiling teenager (left and right)

Tributes were left to Josh Kennedy, pictured next to an Arsenal badge, as he was named locally as one of the crash victims

Police arrested a 28-year-old man after the Audi (pictured) ploughed into the youngsters who were stood at a bus stop in Shepiston Lane, Hayes, west London

A 28-year-old thought to have been in the Audi was arrested before being taking to hospital for treatment.

He is being questioned at a north London police station tonight and the Met have said they believe at least one other male travelling in the Audi fled the scene.

The second male has yet to be apprehended and investigators have not ruled out more passengers being in the car.

A police spokesperson said: 'Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the collision and the number of occupants in the vehicle involved.'

Witnesses to the tragedy described seeing two boys attacking a man thought to have been travelling in the Audi before police arrived.

Harry's devastated mother and sister have today paid tribute to him on Facebook by changing their profile pictures to photos of the smiling teenager.

The youngster's friends have also been sharing messages of support to his mother Nicole Sales and his sister.

Friends and family members were this morning visiting the scene of the tragedy to pay tribute to the three boys.

A card read: 'My darling baby boi, my heart is broken. Love always Mum and Vinnie.'

Other tributes left at the scene were dedicated to two boys named locally as Josh and George.

Another said: 'I thought I would never have to write this and I don't know what to write but I will always love and miss you millions.'

Elsewhere, a card read 'To my bro, always together for ever,' while a fourth said: 'To my darling baby boi my heart is broken, love mum, Vinnie.'

More than 100 mourners descended on the scene clutching blue balloons and flowers to leave at the site this afternoon

More than 100 people are thought to have gathered at the accident spot after the three teenagers died last night

Mourners were visibly upset as they made their way to the scene of the collision carrying floral tributes

Three Lucozade bottles were left at the scene of the crash next to the floral tributes

Mourners were comforting one another this afternoon as they paid tribute to the teenagers

Many were seen attaching blue balloons to the railings of Cherry Lane Cemetery on Shepiston Lane

A devastated pal said earlier: 'I spoke to one of the boys here last night, they both saw their mates in pieces on the floor'

Eyewitnesses top the horror described seeing two boys attacking

'George and Josh were best mates and stuck together like glue, like Tweedledum and Tweedledee,' a friend said. Pictured: Floral tributes at the scene

A 28-year-old man who was inside the vehicle - a black Audi - has been arrested and was taken to a west London hospital for treatment.

Friends who visited the scene to leave flowers said she had spoken to one of the boys at the scene.

Scores of mourners descended on Shepisten Road this afternoon to pay tribute to the boys.

Many were pictured clutching blue balloons and tying them to the fence railings of Cherry Lane Cemetery.

A devastated pal said earlier: 'I spoke to one of the boys here last night, they both saw their mates in pieces on the floor.

'George and Josh were best mates and stuck together like glue, like Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

'They were all lovely, lovely boys, the best boys you could meet.

Police were called to Shepiston Lane in Hayes (pictured) at 8.41pm on Friday night following reports of a road traffic collision. Pictured: The scene of the tragedy this morning

EYEWITNESS: 'IT WAS TERRIBLE, I WILL NEVER FORGET IT' Witness Jake Webb, 18, pictured at the scene of the tragedy, described seeing two boys attacking a man said to be the driver of the Audi Eyewitnesses to the devastating crash said they say two boys punching and kicking a person suspected of being the driver of the Audi. Amandeep Matharoo, 27, and Jake Webb, 18, drove up to the scene and stopped when they saw three people fighting in an Esso garage forecourt and were the first to ring 999. Amandeep said: 'I saw the boys fighting in the forecourt of the garage with an Asian guy on the floor, they were punching and kicking him, they told us he had killed their friend and said call the police. 'We saw two of the boys on the floor and paramedics came within about two minutes and they lifted one of the boy's arms and it just fell straight back to the floor. 'The lads were shouting on the phone and saying three of our friends are dead, they were hysterical and in pieces.' Jake Webb, 18, said: 'I saw two white boys punching and kicking an Asian man who was in his late 20s, I said stop and that I was going to call the police and they said he had hit our friends. 'They had already started attacking him in a bush, he was walking away from the scene and they were pushing him. 'A lone paramedic turned up first and the friends literally drained her ambulance of everything, the boys were trying to take everything out to help their friends. 'The boys were lying in the road, one was wearing a white jacket. 'It was just terrible, I will never forget it.' Advertisement

Members of the public are pictured laying tributes at the scene. One member of staff inside the Goals club, who claimed George was her cousin, said her uncle was 'devastated' by the loss of his son

Friends and family descended on the scene of the horror crash where the three teenage boys lost their lives

Mourners gather next to floral tributes. Police have said that the incident is not being treated as terror related, and have urged anyone who may have witnessed the crash to come forward

A floral tribute read: 'George Boy I love you so much'

Heartbroken family members have laid flowers at the scene where three youngsters were killed by a motorist

A third tribute said: 'My darling baby boi, my heart is broken. Love always Mum and Vinnie'

Tributes have been left at the scene of last night's tragedy by friends and family of the three boys

'My friend here last night said an Asian passenger in the Audi ran away from the scene with a bag.

'I think they got him outside the Premiere Inn down the road.'

Roadside recovery firm security guard Tony Kitchin, 44, works next to where the lads were killed said the road was a death trap where 'lunatics' often break the speed limit.

He said: 'It's a death trap and people who drive down this road are lunatics, I'm surprised there haven't been more accidents.'

Police have said that the incident is not being treated as terror related, and have urged anyone who may have witnessed the crash to come forward.

All of the next of kin of the deceased have been informed, the Met Police said.

A floral tribute that was placed at the scene of last night's collision this morning

Despite the efforts of paramedics, all three boys were pronounced dead at the scene. Pictured: The scene of the tragedy this morning

Staff at the nearby Esso garage said a group of teenagers had been fighting at the entrance to the forecourt a few moments before the smash.

One cashier said the police had come to inspect CCTV footage of the brawl, but said he did not know if it was related to the crash.

'The police haven't told us anything,' he said.

He said teenagers didn't usually hang around in the area, which is just next to the M4, junction 4.

The member of staff said the garage's CCTV didn't stretch to the site of the collision.

Investigators have said they are still trying to establish the sequence of events that led up to the collision, and whether there were any other occupants in the vehicle.

The road was closed while the incident was investigated, but the closure has since been lifted.

The victims have yet to be formally identified, but are believed to be approximately 16 years old. Pictured: The scene of the tragedy this morning

The road was closed while the incident was investigated, but the closure has since been lifted

Officers from the Met's Road and Transport Policing command have urged anyone who may have witnessed the crash to come forward

'I need anyone who saw what happened to contact police immediately.

'Did you see this Audi before the collision, or in the moments leading it up to it?

'I would urge you to speak to us to assist us with our investigation.'

Officers from the Met's Road and Transport Policing command have urged anyone who may have witnessed the crash to come forward.

Detective Jane Shaw, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: 'These are horrific circumstances that have resulted in three young people losing their live.