A 17-year-old Watchet girl died on Wednesday morning when she was involved in a road crash at Cotford St Luke.

Jade Chatfield had been a front-seat passenger in a red Vauxhall Cavalier when the car was in collision with a silver Ford Escort on the A358 at 8.20am.

Jade, a hair and beauty student at Somerset College for Arts and Technology, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The drivers of both vehicles were released by ambulance crews. They were taken to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, but their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Director of marketing and customer service at SCAT Liz Payne-Ahmadi said yesterday (Thursday): "We are very shocked and very sad to hear the news. Our deepest sympathies go to her family and friends."

The road was closed from 8.30am until 2pm as police accident investigators combed the crash area.

The smash lead to major disruptions for motorists with Cotford St Like blocked off by police who were diverting traffic on to the B3227 to Wiveliscombe and the A39.

This was the second time this week the A358 was closed after a crash. At 10.50am on Monday morning, a Range Rover and a single decker bus carrying ten passengers were in collision at Eastcombe.

The woman driver of the Range Rover suffered a fractured shoulder and had to be released using cutting equipment, as did the trapped male bus driver.

The bus passengers were all shaken and dazed and a passenger in the car was treated for injuries at hospital. Another bus was deployed to pick up the stranded passengers.

Photo: Alain Lockyer