Crash-help firefighters praised

Ross Shears was killed in the M40 collision

Two off-duty firefighters who helped victims of a road crash have been praised by a council.

Alastair Lofthouse and Scott Lomas, of Staines Fire Station in Surrey, were driving on the M40 in Oxfordshire on 12 July, when they saw the collision.

The pair gave first aid at the scene, in which a man from East Sussex was killed and two people were injured.

In a joint statement Surrey County Council and Surrey Fire and Rescue Service praised the men's efforts.

"Both our portfolio holder at Surrey County Council, Mrs Helyn Clack, and myself would like to sincerely thank Alastair and Scott for their assistance at this incident, which they dealt with professionally and in their own time," Chief Fire Officer Russell Pearson said.

Leah Shears, whose husband Ross died in the collision, also mentioned the pair in a tribute to him earlier this week.

"I would especially like to thank the two off-duty firefighters who did their best and administered first aid at the crash site," she said.

"Words can't express the massive void Ross' death has left behind for me, our family and our friends," she added.