2 die after car ploughs into building

A CAR that ploughed into a building, killing the driver and his wife, was involved in another collision minutes earlier, police have revealed.

Grampian Police are investigating the crash in St Cyrus in Aberdeenshire when a Vauxhall Insignia slammed into the Old Bakery on the A92 which runs through the town.

David Balneaves, 59, and his wife Helen, 61, from Inverbervie were killed instantly. The couple who lived in the house and coffee shop survived because they were in a different part of the building, officers said.

Ruth McGill, 39, a neighbour of Mr and Mrs Balneaves, described them as a lovely couple who were always smiling.

She said: "Everyone here is so shocked. It's very sad. Our thoughts are all with the family. I can't even imagine what they're going through right now having their parents there one minute then gone.

"They were very friendly. They had a beautiful garden and just loved gardening. They always acknowledged you but pretty much kept themselves to themselves."

The crash happened at the Beach Road junction at around 4.30pm on Sunday. It has emerged that the car was involved in another collision on the same route minutes earlier.

Inspector Ian Kirkwood, from the road policing department, said: "We believe that the Vauxhall travelled on the A92 from the Dundee area prior to the crash and was involved in a minor collision with a northbound Peugeot car just south of St Cyrus. It then continued northwards through the village before leaving the carriageway and striking the building.

"The male driver and sole occupant of the Peugeot was uninjured and, although the building concerned was occupied at the time of the collision, the occupants were thankfully in other areas of the building, which was extensively damaged.

"I would appeal to anyone who may have seen the Vauxhall travelling on the A92 on the lead-up to St Cyrus, or its involvement in both of the collisions, to get in touch with the police," he added.

The residents, named locally as Gordon and Margaret Duncan, had to move out of their home on Sunday night.

Alex Wood, whose mother lives nearby, said: "I heard a huge explosion. Some of the bits of the car were almost at my mother's gate, which is 50 or 60 feet away.

"I went straight into Gordon's house to make sure they were OK. They were shaken up."

The A92 was closed for around 10 hours as crash investigators examined the scene and recovered the vehicle.