Safety plea after fatal crash

Scorch marks were still evident on the road

An accident which claimed the lives of three people has prompted calls for an overhaul of the road network around Aberdeen.

An elderly couple and a young man were killed when their cars collided and burst into flames on the B979 on Tuesday evening.

The crash took place on a series of twisting S bends between Peterculter and Westhill at about 2130 BST and the tragedy has raised fresh concerns about roads in the area.

Pamela MacDonald: Too much traffic

Investigations have been continuing into the cause of the crash which led to the overnight closure of a stretch of the road.

The elderly victims were the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeen, Lieutenant Colonel John Mann, 75, and his wife Evelyn, 73.

The driver of the other car has been named as twenty- two-year-old Philip Morrice. All three were from Milltimber, near Aberdeen.

Safety campaigners said conditions on some roads around Aberdeen have been causing continued concern.

Aberdeen councillor Pamela MacDonald said there has been too much traffic on the B979.

She said: "It is just another country road that is being used as a bypass by all of the traffic including lots of heavy lorries.

"Sooner or later if you make a slight mistake there's going to be a fair chance of something coming the other way."

Proper bypass

A driver who said he is forced to use the road because of congestion on main routes said the crash proves the need for a proper bypass.

Businessman Ken McEwen said he had witnessed two accidents on Wednesday morning.

He said: "I met a car pirouetting sideways towards me and in the next one somebody went straight into a wall about 10 yards in front of my front bumper, partly, of course, because of the wet weather after dry.

Ken McEwen: Witnessed two separate accidents

"But it's a symptom of people trying to get places these days on unsuitable roads."

It was later revealed that an off-duty policeman, who has asked not be named, battled to save the lives of the three people.

A spokesman for Grampian Police said: "It appears that the cars caught fire as soon as they collided.

"The policeman tried several times to gain access to both vehicles but was beaten by the flames and the heat.

"The policeman at the scene did all he could to help but there was nothing he could do."