Three die in Christmas Day crash on M6
Two young brothers and a woman were killed when a car crashed on the M6 in Staffordshire during Christmas Day misery on the region's roads.
The boys, aged four and 10, were pronounced dead at the scene. A 32-year-old woman travelling with the tragic youngsters in the red Ford Focus also died in the crash, which happened on the northbound carriageway near junction 15.
The motorway was closed in both directions between junction 14 at Stafford and 15 at Stoke-on-Trent for more than three hours.
Traffic was diverted along the A34 and A500.
West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman John Hawker said:"Two children and an adult that were travelling in the vehicle suffered serious injuries. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of ambulance crews, nothing could be done to save the two boys and one woman, and they were confirmed dead at the scene.
The tragedy was one of a series of crashes on the region's roads.
An Audi smashed into pieces after ploughing into a bridge and road signs on the M6 Toll in Staffordshire yesterday.
The Audi had left the carriageway between junctions T5 near Lichfield & T6 near Burntwood at around 3.35am.
The vehicle had broken into at least three pieces and West Midlands Ambulance spokesman John Hawker said the driver, a man in his 20s, was "disorientated".
The police helicopter was called after the driver said there had been a second person in the car – but no-one was found and it was established there had not been anyone else at the scene.
In a separate crash, a car ploughed into fencing and struck a gas cylinder in the garden of a home in Lichfield.
Emergency services were called at around 10.30am yesterday to the crash in Cappers Lane.
