Passenger killed in car crash

A passenger was killed when the car he was in left the road and overturned in Heath Hayes.

Fire crews, paramedics and police were called to Hayes Way after a Seat Ibiza crashed into a fence at 8.20 last night.

The driver and one passenger had managed to climb out of the wreckage but firefighters from Cannock and Stafford fire stations cut another 26-year-old man, from Burntwood, free.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. The other men were unhurt.

The road was closed for three hours as police carried out investigations into the cause of the crash.

The car had left the district centre roundabout, travelled along Hayes Way and left the road near to the Eastern Way roundabout. It went down an embankment and hit a back garden fence ending up on its side 15ft from the road.

A winch was used to roll the car back on to its wheels.

Staffordshire police have not named the dead man but said a formal identification was due to be carried out today.

They are appealing for witnesses to the crash to call 0300 123 4455 quoting incident 717 of March 9.

A 26-year-old Walsall man was arrested at the scene and remains in police custody today.

A resident of nearby Gloucester Way, off Hayes Way, said there was a problem with speeding at night on the road. The mother-of-two said: "We can hear the cars driving from Tesco along Hayes Way.

"Police carry out mobile speed checks in Hayes Way in the daytime but they should be done at night when the speeders come out.

"In my view this was an accident waiting to happen," she added. Police were carrying out speed checks on the road this morning.