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Woman dies in car fire on M5 motorway

Sunday, July 05, 2009, 07:00

One person died and another was injured in a crash on the M5 motorway between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea.

The southbound carriageway of the motorway was closed as a result of the accident, which happened just before 4.30pm on Saturday.

A car was reported to have gone out of control and crashed off the carriageway before bursting into flames.

A woman man was trapped in the vehicle and was declared dead at the scene.

A man was freed and taken by air ambulance to Frenchay Hospital.

Accident investigators were at the scene to carry out a detailed examination.

Two lanes of the northbound carriageway were closed to allow the air ambulance to land.

An appeal has been made for any witnesses to contact the collision investigation unit on 0845 456 7000.




Weston-super-Mare

Weston comes from the Anglo-Saxon for the west tun or settlement. Weston's oldest structure is Worlebury camp, on Worlebury Hill, dating from the Iron Age.
Early in the 19th century, Weston-super-Mare was a small windswept village of about 30 houses behind the sand dunes which had been created as an early sea wall after the Bristol Channel floods of 1607.
Weston owes its growth and prosperity to the Victorian boom in seaside holidays. The first hotel was built in 1808 which is now the Royal Hotel.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his family lived in Weston for a number of months whilst he was supervising the construction of the Bristol and Exeter Railway.
The Grand Pier was opened in 1904 after local traders were unhappy that visitors were not coming as far as the centre of Weston-super-Mare. On July 28, 2008, the pavilion at the end of the Grand Pier was completely destroyed by a fire.

Population   71,800
OS grid ref   ST324615
Parish   Weston-super-Mare
District   North Somerset
Postcode   BS22-BS24
Dialing code   01934
Police   Avon and Somerset
Fire   Avon
Ambulance   Great Western
Euro Parlilament   South West England
UK Parliament   Weston-super-Mare













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