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A WOMAN known throughout the Mickleton area for delivering newspapers became the 13th person to die in Cotswold road accidents so far this year.

An upsurge in fatal traffic accidents on Gloucestershire's Cotswold roads means the number of people killed on the area's highways, during 2008, is already only two less than the 15 who died throughout the whole of 2007.

All this year's fatalities came from six accidents, while all last year's came from 13.

Tracy Watts, 39, who had three step-children, was declared dead at the scene of an accident that happened between Ebrington and Hidcote Boyce on Monday, May 12 at about 7.20am.

She was driving a silver Citroen Berlingo estate that was in collision with a purple Rover on Hidcote Road, at the crossroads with Furze Lane.

The Rover driver, a woman from the Evesham area, was treated for minor injuries at the scene.

The road was closed for hours afterwards while the police and emergency services investigated.

Mrs Watts lived in Mickleton's Long Marston Lane with husband, Kevin Watts, who she married nearly two years ago.

She had three step-children; Holly, Sally and Harry.

Holly and Harry have left the couple's home but Sally still lives there.

Mrs Watts worked for her parents, Terry and Wendy Moore, who originated from London but have run Mickleton's Post Office and the village shop, next door to each other in High Street, for about 15 years.

She helped sell fruit and vegetables and deliver newspapers for the past four or five years.

She was returning from delivering newspapers to Ebrington when the accident happened.

Mr Moore went looking for her when she failed to return and came upon the scene of the accident, which emergency services were already dealing with.

Mrs Watts worked at the shop all week except Monday afternoons and Friday mornings when Jane Tye, of Mickleton's Cedar Road, stood in for her.

Mrs Tye, who has known Mrs Watts since doing housework for her 13 years ago, described her friend as "tiny" and petite".

Mrs Tye said: "What you saw was what you got with Tracy.

"She lived her life to the full.

"Tracy was a very good step-mom.

"She made sure the children went places and did things.

"She was basically a family girl."

Another friend, Jenny Kichen of Broad Marston Lane, said: "She was a lovely, pleasant, helpful person.

"She never had a bad word to say to anybody.

"She's going to be very sorely missed."

Gloucestershire's coroner confirmed that Serena Barbara Ann Sutton-Smith, 54, of Clarke Cottages, Aston Subedge, was the woman who died in another accident that happened when two cars were in collision on the B4362 at Mickleton on April 30.

The coroner opened and adjourned an inquest to a date to be fixed.

Seven people died in a horrific collision on the A429 Fosseway, between Stow and Moreton, on March 7.

Just over the county border in Oxfordshire, two men died when the car they were travelling in collided with a tree on the B4450 Churchill Road, between Churchill and Chipping Norton, on May 1.

Garry Handley, Gloucestershire County Council's road safety team leader, said it was impossible to know if something had sparked the upsurge because the causes of these latest accidents had not yet been established.

However, he added that human error caused most previous fatalities.

He said: "There's clearly an issue we need to deal with.

"Road deaths are an enormous human tragedy.

"We appeal to everybody who uses the roads to think of their responsibilities and to drive within the law.

"There's a psychological problem in that most people believe accidents happen to other people."Mr Handley said the Cotswolds' rural roads posed drivers certain problems.

He said: "Because rural roads tend to be fairly quiet, less busy roads, drivers take the view they are safer to take that extra risk, especially going into bends."

7:31am Thursday 15th May 2008

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