Tragedy as five dies after horrific collision leading to road closure in Kenilworth

A COUNCILLOR has voiced safety fears after travellers tethered their horse just yards from the spot where a teenager died when the car he was in collided with a horse.

A COUNCILLOR has voiced safety fears after travellers tethered their horse just yards from the spot where a teenager died when the car he was in collided with a horse.

Matt Jones, aged 18, was killed when his friend’s vehicle crashed into a stray horse as it trotted along Kenilworth Road, in Blackdown near Leamington, in the early hours of OCT 30.

Now travellers have tied their two-year-old brown Gypsy cob to the side of the road before the roundabout by the Riverside Hotel at Chesford – raising not just safety fears, but evoking memories of the tragedy that touched people throughout south Warwickshire.

Now travellers have tied their two-year-old brown Gypsy cob to the side of the road before the roundabout by the Riverside Hotel at Chesford – raising not just safety fears, but evoking memories of the tragedy that touched people throughout south Warwickshire.

The travellers have driven up from Southend to attend the Kenilworth Horse Fair on Sunday, so were unaware of the incident.

But with the memory of that horrific collision still raw, district councillor Bertie MacKay (Ind, Stoneleigh), has called on the authorities to give a guarantee that the horse is securely tied.

He said: “We need to know if this tethered horse is safe, so that history doesn’t repeat itself.

“Even if it is quite securely tied it could quite easily get spooked as it’s a really busy road.

“It’s tempting providence and constitutes a threat until it’s checked out.”

The horse’s owner Debbie Smith, aged 24, said: “We check the horse every 10 minutes; it’s very well tethered.

“We have had some people make comments as they drive by but that’s fairly normal.

“We come from Southend; we weren’t aware of the accident.

“This is our way of life – it’s what we’ve done since my grandfather’s grandfather had horses.”

Matt, who lived with his parents in Park Road, Kenilworth, was a back seat passenger in a Rover 114, which was being driven by his friend Steven Thorpe.

The accident also left 17-year-old Steven – an A-level student at Castle sixth form centre, Kenil-worth – fighting for his life.

Another passenger, 17-year-old Harry Dipper was also left in a serious condition.

Both families have since requested the hospital not release updates about their conditions.