RELATIVES of a 33-year-old Stourbridge man who died suddenly in Cambodia have been overwhelmed by the response to an appeal to bring his body back to the UK.

James Taff, who had travelled to Asia last year to embark on a new adventure, died on July 7 after he’d been to a party at a guesthouse bar in the southern town of Kampot.

Friends and family were left devastated over his untimely death which is thought to be linked to reports of mixed drug and alcohol use and concerns over a tainted batch of substances as another man who had been at the same bar also died.

After news of the tragedy broke, relative Julie Stanway set up a crowd-funding appeal on JustGiving.com to enable the family to bring back James’s body back to the UK.

She set a £5,000 target to help with the £13,000 anticipated costs of repatriation and funeral expenses – but such was the response that more than £7,000 was raised and James has now been flown back to England and back to the Black Country.

Julie, James’s cousin, said the family “cannot even begin to express how much this means” and she thanked all those who donated or helped.

A funeral date has yet to be confirmed.