LYDNEY dad Matt Trattles has died in an horrific smash on the A48.

The 24-year-old is the fourth person to die at an accident blackspot which only reopened last Saturday following a £100,000 safety scheme.

He was driving a Subaru Impreza which caught fire after a collision with a Mercedes van in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The 46-year-old van driver from Cinderford was taken to hospital with a broken leg and other injuries.

Father-of-two Matt was the son of Kenneth Trattles who used to run the Greyhound pub with wife Ann.

He is believed to be one of six brothers.

Brother Simon, 23, has set up a Facebook tribute page in his memory and wrote: "RIP Bro. Thinking of ya. Love u so much xx."

His death has come as a major shock in the town and local councillor Alan Preest said: "I know the family well. They are very well known and very well thought of.

"The entire community is devastated."

The accident happened near the Severn Bore pub, Minsterworth, on a stretch of road where local residents say there have been 60 accidents in just over four years.

New Severn Bore landlady Wendy Pittman raised the alarm.

Husband Neil Pittman said: "We did not hear anything until the dogs started barking. Wendy looked out the window and there it was.

"While she was on the phone to the operator the flames started. The car did not explode or anything like that, it gradually just got worse and worse."

Highways chiefs have just laid a special anti-skid surface on the road.

As part of an investigation to find out why there have been so many accidents, they have started to look at issues such as the camber of the road, drainage and the Lyes abattoir.

Hartland Hill resident Stuart Williams, 46, has counted 60 smashes in just over four years. At one time he erected a banner urging drivers to slow down.

He said: "They finished the work on Saturday night and by Wednesday somebody else is dead. It's time they did something. I am adamant that we need a speed camera there. I've been asking for years."

The road was closed until 1pm on Wednesday which caused major traffic problems in the Forest during the morning rush hour.

Supt Phil Haynes said it would be wrong to speculate about what caused the accident.

Officers are studying CCTV images from Lyes abbatoir. Inspector Keith Fagan of the Roads Policing Unit said: "We undertake a robust, diligent and holistic approach to all collision investigations. They take into account the environment of the crash including aspects like topography and the road surface as well as the collision itself.

"All of our findings will be handed over to the coroner or processed through the judicial system once the investigation is complete."