A HEAD-ON collision on the A429 Fosseway between Stow and Moreton last night (Fri, March 7), which resulted in the deaths of six people, has been described as the worst loss of life on Gloucestershire's roads for many years.

At a police press conference in Quedgely on Saturday afternoon, an officer said: "This is the worst case we have had in the county for many, many years."

He said the accident, which has also left three people injured, including two children aged nine and 10, would have an enormous impact on the local community, particularly Stow and Moreton, where most of the dead and injured came from.

The crash happened at about 9.20pm on the A429 near to the Broadwell junction. The first person on the scene was a local Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) who immediately alerted the emergency services.

Police said that the driver of a grey Peugeot 306 containing three passengers overtook a red Kia car before colliding head on with a green VW Passat heading south towards Stow.

The driver of the Passat, a 53-year-old man from Stow was declared dead at the scene, as were all four occupants of the Peugeot, believed to be a 35-year-old man, a 31-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl all from Moreton and a 20-year-old man from the Chipping Norton area.

A 61-year-old woman front seat passenger in the Passat died later in hospital.

The two children, a nine-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl from Stow, are in a critical condition in separate hospitals in Bristol.

The boy is being treated for head injuries at Frenchay Hospital and the girl is being treated abdominal injuries at Bristol Children's Hospital.

Their 34-year-old aunt, also from Stow, is in Gloucester Royal Infirmary, where she is in a critical condition with chest injuries.

Asked if that section of road was particularly fast, a Gloucestershire Constabulary officer, a sergeant from the roads policing unit, said: "It's a major trunk road. It's an old Roman road and is subject to the national speed limit of 60mph.

"If both vehicles were doing 60mph you have a collision speed of 120mph."

Asked about the scene that greeted emergency services, he replied that debris was spread over a large area and the bodies were still in the vehicles.

He said the drivers of the cars were not young people.

"They were both local drivers and they both would know the road," he added.

The occupants of the red Kia, two women from Lechade who were unhurt, were interviewed by police early Saturday morning.

All next of kin have been informed and police liaison officers are offering support where appropriate.

Police have appealed for anyone who saw the collision or either car prior to the accident to contact them. "Anyone who saw the grey Peugeot in the hours of yesterday evening, we would like them to contact us," said the police officer at the press conference, which was televised live on Sky News.

Road closures were put in place at the following locations while all three emergency services worked at the scene: the junction of the A429 and A44 at Moreton-in-Marsh; the A429 Longborough turning; the A429 at Stow; and at the Donnington crossroads.

Anyone with information that could help the police investigation should contact Gloucestershire Constabulary as soon as possible on 0845 090 1234, quoting incident number 536 of March 7.