A MAN from Cheltenham died in front of his son on the A417 near Birdlip after attempting to move his broken down car from the road.

The 59-year-old was killed by his own black Toyota car as he tried to get it off the steep Crickley Hill carriageway, close to the Air Balloon roundabout.

His death is the fourth on that specific stretch of road this winter and brings the number of fatalities to more than 30 since 2000.

Gloucestershire Police believe the accident was the result of the motorist trying to push his vehicle to safety off the busy, accident-hit road.

A police spokesman said: "Officers suspect that the man, accompanied by his son, was travelling up the hill in his black Toyota car when it broke down on the hill.

"While attempting to move the vehicle from the carriageway the man was struck by the car and suffered injuries.

"Paramedics and police attended the scene and the victim was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital where he sadly died a short while later."

The incident, which happened at around 9.30pm on Friday, February 7 on the Cirencester-bound carriageway, brings into focus the campaign to fill the missing A417 link.

The campaign calls for the stretch of single-carriageway between Cowley and Brockworth to be replaced with a dual-carriageway bypass, dubbed the A417 loop.

Paul Hodgkinson, Gloucestershire County Councillor for Bourton and Northleach, said: “We appear to have had a really awful winter in Gloucestershire for fatalities and particularly on this stretch of road, which has brought the tally of deaths to four.

"Frequently lorries are breaking down and cars are breaking down and when you get that people are putting themselves at risk from traffic coming at high speeds.

"This just emphasises to me that the whole road has to change and it needs to be done as quickly as possible."

The single lane stretch of the A417 is often referred to as a “road to Hell” and has seen 343 casualties on it over the past 15 years.

Anyone who may have witness the incident can contact Gloucestershire Police on 101 quoting incident number 445 of February 7.

For more on the campaign, visit a417missinglink.co.uk.