POLICE have made a fresh appeal for witnesses to an accident which claimed the lives of an elderly couple.

The fatal collision happened on the A523 Ashbourne Road near Bottomhouse - around miles north west of Ashbourne.

Emergency services were called at around 3pm on Saturday, February 18, when a silver Renault Kangoo, a red Fiat Punto and a green Skoda Octavia were involved in a collision.

The investigating officer, PC David Stubbs, said: “The A523 is the main road from Leek in the Staffordshire Moorlands to Ashbourne in Derbyshire and it’s likely that there were many people travelling along the route at that time of the day.

“There are around five or six vehicles that we believe witnessed the collision, or whose occupants helped at the scene, but left prior to emergency services arriving.

“We really need to speak to the occupants of these vehicles. I am very keen to hear from any witnesses that saw the collision or any of the vehicles involved immediately beforehand.”

The occupants of the red Fiat died at the scene. They have been formally identified as William Burrows, 77, and his wife Jean, 80, of Tunstall.

The occupants of the silver Renault, a 65-year-old man and a 67-year-old woman from the Leek area, both had to be cut free.

and are in hospital with serious injuries.

Witnesses are urged to contact PC David Stubbs at Staffordshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 473 of February 18.