Sombre air as floral tributes mount up
As residents and locals walked and drove by, going about their daily business on a dreary and cold Monday morning, the enormity of the devastation resulting from Saturday night’s incident was tangible in the air.
Police officers in a group of four paced a distance of around 50 yards to and from the tree where the stolen Renault Clio came to rest after hitting it.
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Hide AdThey scoured the pavement and grass verges for clues and debris while colleagues searched the gardens of the pairs of semi-detached houses which are just yards away.
On the other side of the road floral tributes lined the edge of the pavement as a steady stream of locals, friends and family members of the deceased - visibly shocked and shaken by the tragedy - came to the scene to pay their respects.
Among them was a grieving mum whose son is believed to have been one of five people killed. She was allowed through the police cordon and placed her hand on the tree before being comforted by a younger man who was with her.
Candles had been left at the scene from a vigil on Sunday night and a single blue balloon in the shape of a star fluttered in the winter November wind.
Charlene Lee, a cousin of the mother of brothers Ellis and Elliott, said: “It’s just heartbreaking, isn’t it?
“The thought of losing one child ... but she’s lost two. It’s just devastating.”