A FAMILY has been left devastated by the death of a mother and grandmother in a road crash on Swarkestone bridge.

Elaine Anderson was killed in the collision on the mile-long bridge – a historic narrow road linking Melbourne and Derby – on Saturday.

Elaine's family have now issued a statement telling of their heartache, and hope it will act as a warning to motorists to take care on the roads, especially in the wet.

It said: "Too many hearts have been broken and too many lives have been changed forever because of one road traffic accident."

The bridge, a scheduled ancient monument known as the Causeway, was shut for several hours on Saturday morning as paramedics battled to save the 60-year-old.

Her long-term partner, Mark Goodwin, suffered serious injuries in the three-car smash and was airlifted to Derby City General Hospital, where he is still recovering.

It is not yet known exactly how the collision happened but it followed heavy rainfall in the county early on Saturday.

The statement said: "Elaine's sudden death has left Mark, three daughters, one son, a grandson, three granddaughters and a large extended family absolutely devastated.

"We are struggling to comprehend the enormity of our loss and the family feel very strongly that the tragedy of Elaine's death has to have meaning.

"We want the story to highlight the dangers present when driving, particularly in wet weather, on roads that are difficult to navigate, such as Swarkestone Bridge."

Elaine lived in Chellaston and retired last year after working for more than a decade at Wilkinson's, in Derby.

Simone White, Elaine's daughter, said she was looking forward to retirement with her grandchildren.

The statement continued: "We do not want another family to lose a mum, daughter, sister, granny, mother-in-law, aunt and friend – Elaine was all these things and more. The family would like to thank the emergency services for all their efforts and car at the scene and the ongoing care and support they are now providing to the family."

Saturday's crash brought renewed calls for safety improvements at the bridge, which is more than 800 years old.

In a similar incident in June last year, a car travelling along the bridge after heavy rainfall veered across the road and smashed through a wall.

The 28-year-old driver of that car, which ended up on its roof after rolling down an embankment, escaped with minor injuries.

In November, officers from South Derbyshire District Council asked the county council to look into alternative routes around the bridge.

A feasibility study into whether a bypass bridge could be built to replace it was started, but a spokesman for the authority was unable to say what its findings were yesterday.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Derbyshire police appealed for witnesses to help in its ongoing investigation into the cause of the smash.

Witnesses should call the collision investigation unit on 01773 572929.