A HEARTBROKEN father has paid a touching tribute to his teenage daughter who died from a suspected heroin overdose.

As he struggles to come to terms with never seeing his "little princess" again, Brett Andrews spoke out to warn other youngsters of the dangers of dicing with drugs.

He said: "As we've discovered, drugs can kill and cause suffering not only to the victim but to those who care about them.

"If one person reads this and refrains from ending up the same way as my beautiful Melissa, we will take some solace from that.

"She was my little princess."

Mr Andrews' eldest daughter Melissa Andrews was just 18 when she was rushed to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital on September 26.

The Bournemouth and Poole College student's death was confirmed at the hospital on October 11.

Mr Andrews, who lives in Westbourne, said: "Melissa had moved into a flat in Southbourne with her younger sister Rebecca less than a fortnight earlier to start a new life.

"I'd taken them shopping to buy things for their flat and they were very excited about their future.

"The last time I spoke to Melissa was the night before she was admitted to hospital.

"My last words to her were Behave yourself'.

"She was fit and well but the next morning I got a phone call to say she was in hospital."

Praising staff in the Royal Bournemouth Hospital's intensive care unit, Mr Andrews added: "They put in a tremendous effort to stabilise Melissa and ensure she was as comfortable as possible. But she never recovered.

"They were also honest with us and did not generate any false hopes. On the day she was admitted Rebecca and I were both made aware of the severity of what had happened.

"Melissa never regained any level of awareness and didn't suffer. She just slipped away from us, six days after her 19th birthday.

"I knew she had taken drugs at around Christmas but she had gone to Spain to spend time with her mother and came back to continue her education - ironically, on a health and social care course.

"Melissa was clean of drugs and that's maybe why this dose proved fatal. I will always miss her as will all those whose lives she touched, particularly Rebecca."

Dorset detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding Melissa's death, just days after a police chief called for cocaine and heroin to be legalised.

North Wales' controversial chief constable Richard Brunstrom claimed all drugs should be regulated and the battle against them was "unwinnable".

Mr Andrews disagreed with his sentiments. He said: "After what we've been through, I certainly don't share his views.

"Melissa has paid the ultimate price and I don't want other families to have to suffer the same agony."