18/09/2007

Irish Couple Killed In Welsh Motorway Crash

An Irish couple were among the five people killed in the motorway crash yesterday in south Wales.

James and Bridget Stafford, originally from Co Mayo, were returning from holiday in Ireland to their second home in London, when the crash happened.

Mr and Mrs Stafford, who were both retired, divided their time between the south east of England and Ireland.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has been called in to investigate the collision on the M4, since it was revealed that one of the cars involved in the collision had been pursued by police before the crash occurred.

Gwent Police said that police had stopped following the vehicle after it turned onto the motorway in the wrong direction.

IPCC commissioner Tom Davies said: "It has emerged that at around 3am this morning a marked police vehicle had reason to try and stop a car containing four male occupants.

"Early indications are that the vehicle being pursued took a turn onto the motorway in the wrong direction. The police vehicle did not follow it. Some one and a half miles down the motorway, the fatal collision occurred."

The collision, between a red Ford Mondeo and a red Volvo 940, happened between junctions 25 and 24 in Newport, south Wales, around 3:15am on Monday morning.

Three men from one car died at the scene, along with the couple in the other car. An 18-year-old man, understood to have been travelling in the car with the three men who died, was taken to hospital yesterday suffering from multiple injuries.

(LC/SP)

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