TRIBUTES have been paid to a St Albans man who died recently, just weeks after moving to the Netherlands to study at university.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office has confirmed that Nick Marshall died in Amsterdam on September 21. In a statement he said that consular assistance had been provided to Mr Marshall’s family, “at this very difficult time”.

It is understood that Mr Marshall had been missing from lodgings in Eindhoven, and that friends and family had desperately tried to find him using social networking sites including Facebook.

On one site, it said that Mr Marshall moved from St Albans to Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant, in early September to study for a year, after studying in England.

However a later posting on a Facebook page set up to find him announced “with sincere regret” that Mr Marshall had died on September 21.

Friends who knew him from primary and secondary school – he attended Beaumont – expressed their shock and sadness at his death.

One friend said: “We were just getting to know Nick and his wonderfully dry sense of humour. We will miss him very much. Our sincere condolences to his family.”

Others described him as “very funny” and a “lovely lad”.