By Ted JeoryTHE sister of a man who died after his car overturned and burst into flames told last night of her family's anguish.Linda Kibble said her mind would only be put at rest when she knew whether her youngest brother, Kevin Ager, had suffered in the accident.

By Ted Jeory

THE sister of a man who died after his car overturned and burst into flames told last night of her family's anguish.

Linda Kibble said her mind would only be put at rest when she knew whether her youngest brother, Kevin Ager, had suffered in the accident.

The crash on the A131 at Bulmer Tye was so horrific, the former Ramsay School pupil was only formally identified by DNA yesterday - more than a month after the October 15 accident.

Mrs Kibble, from Castle Hedingham, said her deeply-loved brother had been in good spirits on the day of the crash, having returned home from holiday in Florida with his girlfriend of seven years, Rebecca Hughes-Rowlands.

“He was like any other boy and had his moods, but that day he was on form. On the morning of the accident, he'd been laughing and joking with our mum, Peggy,” she added.

“In the evening, he'd just dropped off some friends in Sudbury and was coming home to watch Liverpool play on television.”

However, on the way back

But on the way, his car left the road, turned upside down and caught fire. Emergency services battled in vain to rescue Mr Ager, 28, a metal-worker, of Brook Meadow, Sible Hedingham.

Essex Police said no other vehicles were involved in the accident and Mrs Kibble said: “We don't know what happened and we just hope he didn't suffer.

“One person said he didn't, but we also heard that he was conscious and trying to talk - we need to know that.

“The police called my mum that night to tell us his car had been in an accident and they'd found his wallet. We were 90% sure it was Kevin, but the wait for the formal identification has been painful.”

She added: “We'd like to thank everyone who tried to help him, including the emergency services.”

Miss Hughes-Rowlands, 22, said she was devastated by the accident. “I felt like I'd grown up with him,” she added.

“We did everything together and had just been on holiday having happy times in Florida.

“He could be really cheeky, but he was also extremely kind and would do anything for me. I thought we had a lifetime ahead of us. I miss him so much.”

Mr Ager was the youngest of four children and leaves five nieces and four nephews.

ted.jeory@eadt.co.uk