A NOTORIOUS stretch of the A14 in Suffolk claimed two more lives this weekend when a silver BMW was involved in a horrific crash - just a week after a lorry driver died in a smash on the same road.

A NOTORIOUS stretch of the A14 in Suffolk claimed two more lives this weekend when a silver BMW was involved in a horrific crash - just a week after a lorry driver died in a smash on the same road.

One female passenger, 86, died at the scene of Saturday's accident and the male driver died four hours later at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

No further details about the tragic motorists have been released.

The accident happened close to the junction at Kentford near Newmarket shortly after 4pm.

This weekend's incident, on the eastbound carriageway, is the third serious accident in a week and the area's second fatal crash.

On the previous Saturday Andrew Courtney died when the HGV he was driving was involved in a collision with another lorry along the westbound carriageway of the A14, at Newmarket.

The crash happened just moments after a third lorry had jack-knifed on the opposite side of the road, causing delays of up to eight hours for motorists who were diverted around both incidents.

Mr Courtney's devastated wife, Pauline, last week paid tribute to a loving husband who was set to become a father in December.

The 36-year-old, from Harwich, was pronounced dead at the scene of last week's accident, which happened just before 7am.

A spokesman for Suffolk police said the tragic crashes were an “unfortunate coincidence” and an investigation was ongoing,

“We had a number of calls in relation to this incident and members of the public had stopped their cars and were trying to help the driver and his passenger,” he said.

“As yet we do not know what happened to the car, which had flipped over onto its roof, but officers will be interviewing a number of witnesses over the coming days.”

Diversions were put in place around the stretch of the A14 for four hours with heavy traffic tailing back towards Newmarket swollen by racegoers heading home.

Richard Spring, West Suffolk MP, said: “If this is an accident zone then the police are going to have to look at taking steps to ensure drivers' safety.

“The population of Suffolk and the number of car journeys they take have grown and the roads aren't designed for this. I hope the police will look at this situation and take the appropriate steps.”

Also this weekend a man in his 80s was taken to hospital by air ambulance after an accident on the A140.

The accident, at about 11.45am on Saturday, happened at Brome in north Suffolk and involved two vehicles, a Peugeot 106 and a Land Rover Discovery.

The driver of the Peugeot, an 88-year-old man, needed to be cut free from his car by firefighters and was flown to hospital where he will need an operation after suffering cracked ribs and injuring his shoulder.

A Suffolk Constabulary spokesman said that no-one else was injured in the accident, but the A140 had been closed while fire crews cut the motorist from his car.

And later that day emergency services were also called to a serious accident on the Higham to Tuddenham road at the Cavenham crossroads, where a green Toyota Corolla and a blue Vauxhall Astra were involved in a collision shortly after 5pm.

The female driver of the Toyota was taken to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury with life threatening injuries. Her condition was later described as stable.

nSuffolk police are appealing for witnesses to the fatal accidents to contact Bury St Edmunds Road Policing Unit, on 01473 613 500.