Four men die as car crashes into tree near Cheltenham

Four men have died after a car crashed into a tree in Ullenwood, near Cheltenham , Gloucestershire .

Police found the black Renault Clio on the A436 while on patrol shortly before 2am on Sunday.

The vehicle had left the road and collided with a tree.

Gloucestershire police said urgent work is being undertaken to identify those involved, who are all aged 18 plus, and notify their next of kin.

The road between the A417 Air Balloon roundabout and Severn Springs has now reopened.

Anyone with information about the collision or with dashcam footage is asked to contact the police.

Paul Hodgkinson, the Gloucestershire County councillor for the area, said he did not know the circumstances of what happened on Sunday but that accidents and fatalities have happened on the road previously.

Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: “It’s terrible, I was just horrified that four people have lost their lives and my heart goes out to their families, it really does.”

He added: “Certainly accidents have been a regular occurrence, with the road being exceptionally busy.

“One thing that I would say is that residents and I have called for ages for improvements to the road because we feel it is unsafe.

“Not only is it busy but we have traffic that we believe goes too fast for the road.

“We are still waiting for major improvements to happen.”

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire County Council said: “We’re saddened to hear about the tragic accident that happened in the early hours of this morning.

“Our thoughts go out to the families and friends of those lost.

“It would be wrong to jump to any conclusions during an ongoing investigation.

“As with any incident of this kind we will conduct a review along with other agencies and take the necessary action where needed.”