A40 crash in London leaves two dead after police chase

Image copyrightPeter ManningImage captio

The crash happened about 20 minutes after the police pursuit began in response to an aggravated burglary in Harrow

Two people were killed in a car that drove down the wrong side of the road and hit a coach following a lengthy police pursuit in west London.

The man and woman died on the A40 in Acton, at about 21:00 GMT on Sunday.

A second man was hurt in the crash, which took place after the pursuit began seven miles away in Harrow after reports of an aggravated burglary.

The Met Police said its officers did not follow when the car went down the wrong side of the A40.

Fire and ambulance crews, along with the police helicopter, were called in and roads in the area - near the A40's junction with Kingsdown Avenue - were closed.

Transport for London said the roads reopened in both directions at 07:45.

Image copyrightPeter ManningImage caption A police helicopter was called in to help with the pursuit

The second man was later taken to hospital for treatment, although the extent of his injuries has not been confirmed.

There were no reports of any other serious injuries, the Met said.

The Directorate of Professional Standards and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) have been informed.

At the scene

By Greg McKenzie, BBC London

Image caption Residents described hearing the aftermath of the crash which left two people dead

The coach was being hoisted up onto a tow truck at about 06:15 to be taken away from the crash scene.

Highways workers could be seen clearing the road of the glass and debris which had come from the collision.

Residents who live just off the A40 told me about hearing the crash, the aftermath and a helicopter hovering above.

One person said the car had hit the railings and then went into the coach after driving on the wrong side of the road.

The IOPC is investigating four deaths in separate incidents involving police vehicles, within four days of each other, in January.

There were 29 police-related fatalities on the roads in 2017-18, of which 17 were “pursuit-related”, according to the IOPC.

Eight involved police vehicles responding to emergency calls.

Five deaths involved police vehicles hitting pedestrians while responding to an emergency call and one pedestrian death related to a pursuit.

In the previous year, 2016-17, there were 32 fatalities on the roads involving the police. Of those, 28 related to pursuits and none involved police responding to emergency calls.