A close-knit village community has been left devastated after five teenage friends were killed in a horrific high-speed car crash while out enjoying a final Christmas break get-together.

Their red Ford Escort was sliced in two after colliding head-on with a white Peugeot 306 just before 9pm on Friday on the B585 at Wellsborough near Market Bosworth.

The two halves of the shattered car were flung 20 metres apart. The front half ended up in the middle of the road while the rear was resting in a ditch around a tree trunk.

Two casualties had to be cut from the wreckage

The dead teenagers, all aged between 18 and 19, were almost all from Newbold Verdon, Leicestershire. At the time of the accident they were on their way to meet friends for a pub night out to round off the Christmas holidays.

Four of the victims were old school friends. Two had been due to return to universities, while a third victim was shortly to resume duty with the Royal Marines.

Shocked locals from their home village have shrugged off torrential rain and fierce winds to comfort each other in the street.

The two men who were travelling in the Peugeot were taken to the Leicester Royal Infirmary in a critical condition and are still fighting for their lives Firecrews and paramedics took more than an hour to cut them free from the wreckage of their car.

Tributes at the roadside

Flowers have been laid at the crash scene. Many of the messages said "We will always miss you" and one added: "We will never forget you and hope that you enjoyed the life you had."

The quiet country lane was closed for eight hours after the accident while the debris was cleared away.

Emergency teams were shocked by the damage to the cars involved. The road was strewn with mechanical debris and the personal belongings of the victims.

Traffic sergeant Stephen Johnson said police had been met with a scene of "utter devastation" when they arrived.

Four of the five who died were from the same village

Sgt Johnson said: "In my 25 years of service this is the worst accident I have come across. It is truly horrific ... there is no doubt about it.

"There was nothing that could be done for them."

Investigators believe the cars were travelling in opposite directions when the Escort lost control and crossed the carriageway into the oncoming Peugeot.

The five dead youths have been named as: Matthew Philip Thompson, 19; Stephen Vann, 18; Michael James Staniforth, 18; and Anthony Graham Smith, also 18, all from Newbold Verdon, and William Annan, 18, from nearby Market Bosworth.

The injured men have not been named. Efforts are continuing to locate their familes who are believed to be away on holiday and unaware of the crash.
 

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