THREE young children were orphaned after their parents were killed in a head-on crash while setting off on a family holiday.

Philip and Julie Dewhurst, of Ribchester, died in the crash yesterday afternoon, while their three sons, Dean, eight, Paul, six, and Liam, three, survived.

The family's dark green Honda Concerto saloon collided with a Ford flat-back vehicle transporter on the A59 at Sawley Brow.

Police are now appealing for witnesses to the crash which has devastated the small Ribble Valley community.

The family - described by neighbours as "very popular" - was travelling to Filey for a weekend away.

Ambulance crews and fire-fighters from around East Lancashire attended the accident after the alarm was raised by a motorist on a mobile telephone. Mr and Mrs Dewhurst died at the scene and their three sons, who were on the back seat, were taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary with cuts and bruises.

A farm worker, who was working on a tractor in a field next to the A59, said he heard a "horrific" bang when the two vehicles collided.

He and a couple from another car rushed to help the family and the van driver.

He said: "I helped the van driver to the side of the road. He was cut, bruised and very shaken." I then helped to get the children out of the car. We managed to get them out through the back window which was smashed."

Leading ambulanceman Mr Malcolm Nuttall, of Barnoldswick ambulance, said: "The couple were dead at the scene and the children were not in the car when we arrived.

"Over the years I have seen a lot of bad crashes on the A59 and this is one of them."

The road was left strewn with the holiday belongings from the family's car and fragments of the vehicle were scattered on a nearby grass verge.

The car transporter was loaded with a Vauxhall Astra and travelling towards Clitheroe. Police blocked a two mile stretch of the road for around three hours as they carried out investigations and cleared away the wrecked vehicles and debris. The couple had lived in Stoneygate Lane, Ribchester, since they were married and played an active part in village life.

Mrs Dewhurst, whose parents live in the village, was doing a play leaders' course at Blackburn College and ran the after-schools club in the village.

Mr Dewhurst, whose parents live in the Longridge area, was a builder.

Neighbour and friend Mrs Linda Horrigan said: "It is a very close village and they were a well liked family. Everyone is devastated."

Witnesses should contact Blackburn Police on 01254 51212.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.