Police wanted crash road gritted

Tributes to cycle crash victims

Police have said they asked for a north Wales road to be gritted an hour before a crash which killed four cyclists.

Conwy Council said it was examining its procedures in the wake of the accident, adding that the road had been gritted the evening before the crash on Sunday.

Maurice Broadbent, 61, from Rhuddlan, Dave Horrocks, 55, from Llanerch, Wayne Wilkes, 42, of Rhyl and Thomas Harland, 14, from Prestatyn, were killed.

A car skidded into the club riders on the A547 near Abergele.

North Wales Police Chief Inspector Martyn Schlangen said there had been a minor accident at the same spot about an hour before the fatal collision and that the police had made a request for the council to re-grit the road.

Officers have described the deaths as a "tragic accident".

They said a Toyota Corolla travelling in the opposite direction to the 12 cyclists, skidded on ice and spun broadside into the riders, throwing several into a neighbouring field.

Sunday morning scene of tragedy

Chief Inspector Lyn Adams said the car driver lost control on a gentle left hand bend because of ice and that there was " no indication to suggest that this is down to something like excessive speed".

As well as the four fatalities, eight others needed hospital treatment.

The cyclists had just set out from Maurice Broadbent's home in Rhuddlan on a 60-mile round trip to Great Orme when the crash took place on a dangerous stretch of the Rhuddlan Road at 1000 GMT.

In a statement released on Monday, Conwy Council said it had offered full co-operation with police.

The statement added: "We extend our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of those who died and we pray for a speedy recovery for those who were injured.

I went to this lad [and] prayed with him. Then I heard a man, who was in shock, say, 'that's my boy' Reverend Huw Rowlands

"In assisting those who are looking at the causes of this tragedy, we have examined and will continue to examine the processes and procedures that we as a highway authority adopt.

"The stretch of road in question is on a priority list that has been identified as meriting treatment at times of inclement weather.

"It was gritted at approximately 6.20 on Saturday evening and had been the subject of similar treatment on the three days prior to Saturday.

"Officers in the Highways Department are giving this sad event their priority, and we earnestly hope that there will never be a repeat of such a devastating incident."

Conwy councillor for Towyn, Darren Millar, told BBC Radio Wales he had contacted the chief highways officer as soon as he heard about the incident to ask why the road was in such poor condition.

"This road appeared to me and other members of the public to be the same as those road surfaces that had not been treated by gritting," he said.

David Horrocks (top); Wayne Wilkies (right); Maurice Broadbent

"The council released a statement saying the road was gritted about 1820 GMT on Saturday evening. Clearly, the road surfaces were unacceptable and perhaps a second gritting should have taken place."

Welsh Secretary Peter Hain has also called for a report into the accident.

One of the first people on the scene was Reverend Huw Rowlands, who told BBC Radio Wales: "I went to this lad [and] prayed with him. Then I heard a man, who was in shock, say, 'that's my boy'.

"It was a sight you can never forget really."

Mr Broadbent, a qualified cycling coach in his 60s, was married with a son and a daughter. Mr Horrocks was a married father and Mr Wilkes leaves a wife and four children - two of his sons were also injured.

Seven of the eight cyclists taken to hospital were released on Sunday night.

Inquests into the deaths are expected to open on Tuesday.