TWO women who died in a crash on the A2 near Dover shortly before Christmas have been named by Kent Police.

They were 19-year-old Laura Jones, of Jarvist Place, Kingsdown, near Deal, and retired accountant Dorothy Avery, 61, of Strakers Hill, East Studdal, near Dover.

Miss Jones was a college student and worked part-time at two businesses in Deal, The King’s Head public house and Oregano, a restaurant and delicatessen. She was a former pupil at Sir Roger Manwood’s School at Sandwich.

Miss Jones was a passenger in a Vauxhall Astra car, believed to have been driven by her boyfriend, which was in collision with the other car about half a mile north of the Lydden traffic lights on Wednesday, December 21.

Police said a Fiat Cinquecento, driven by Mrs Avery, crossed the London-bound carriageway of the A2 from Wootton Lane and then the coastbound carriageway where it collided with the Vauxhall Astra.

Two other vehicles, a Ford Escort van and a Ford KA, were also involved in the collision but the drivers of these received minor injuries.

The road was closed for seven hours while crash investigators tried to piece together what had happened. An inquest has been opened and adjourned.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, or the events leading up to it, is asked to contact the Serious Crash Investigation Unit on 01622 798537.