Three men dead after car and lorry crash

7 hours agoOwain Evans

BBC News

Reporting fromBonvilstonRowenna Hoskin

BBC News

BBC The A48 near Bonvilston in the Vale of Glamorgan. A single lane with a car and a van travelling along it. A national speed limit sign is visible.

BBC

Three men have been killed in a crash involving a car and a lorry.

The crash on the A48 near Bonvilston in Vale of Glamorgan happened just before 17:00 BST on Tuesday and involved a blue Ford Puma car and a red and black Scania tipper lorry, according to South Wales Police.

A 51-year-old man from Porthcawl, a 34-year-old man from Bridgend and a 48-year-old man from Ferndale died.

People living in the area have expressed concerns over the road's speed limit, while South Wales Central MS Andrew RT Davies has called for a safety investigation following five deaths on the road [1] in the past two two years.

A map of the Vale of Glamorgan./ppIt shows a red label for Bonvilston which shows the A48 links to Culverhouse cross./ppAt the bottom of the map there is a label for Cardiff Airport and Barry.

The carriageway remained closed for several hours.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone who may have dash cam footage to contact them.

Emma Drake, who moved to the area in September, said the crash was "a real worry" for local residents.

"This is now the fifth fatality, which is absolutely heart-breaking for those families."

She said she thought the road needed to be slowed "to stop more heart-breaking incidents" happening.

Ms Drake said she has two young children and worries for their safety because of the turnings, and bus stop.

Tony Young, who has lived in the area for 24 years, described part of the road as "hazardous", particularly for people with mobility issues or young children.

"You're taking your life into your hands trying to cross the road," he said.

"It's dangerous because it's much too fast," Mr Young added.

Conservative MS Mr Davies said Senedd ministers must urgently assess the safety of the A48 following the latest fatalities on the road.

"Senedd ministers must commission an urgent engineering review of this stretch of road to fully assess the risks and identify what measures can be taken to avoid more lives being lost," he said.

"As the A48 is part of the trunk road network, ministers have a direct responsibility to ensure it is safe."

Transport Secretary Ken Skates said: "This is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts are with all those affected.

"It would not be appropriate to comment further whilst a police investigation is underway."

Vale of Glamorgan council said it was assisting police with its investigation, which has identified no highway implications at this stage.

References

^ five deaths on the road (www.bbc.co.uk)