Inquest opens on M4 crash victims

The five people all died at the scene early on Monday

An inquest on five people killed in a two-car head-on collision on the M4 near Newport has opened and adjourned.

Bridget Stafford, 70, and husband James, 69, of Surrey, died on Monday, as did Chris Beresford, 18, Sam Case, 19, and Lee Maggs, 26, of Newport.

All the bodies were released for funerals. Mr and Mrs Stafford's funeral will be in the Irish Republic, where they were from originally.

Mr Beresford drove the wrong way on the M4 after an earlier police pursuit.

There was one survivor, an 18-year-old whose identity has not been released. He received multiple fractures and remains in hospital.

The coroner adjourned the inquest so that investigations can be completed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

The IPCC has been called in to investigate the circumstances because by law it is required to look into any incident involving the police that involved death or serious injury.

All the evidence collected about Monday's incident, including CCTV footage and call logs, has now been handed by Gwent Police to the IPCC.

The collision between Mr and Mrs Stafford's red Volvo 940 and the Ford Mondeo containing the four other men was at 0320 BST on Monday on the eastbound carriageway of the M4.

Mr and Mrs Stafford were a retired couple who lived in Thornton Heath. Mr Beresford and Mr Maggs were both from the Duffryn area of Newport, and Mr Case was from the Maindee area.

The IPCC is urging witnesses to the collision to call free phone [phone] or e-mail [e-mail]