Councillors have pledged to investigate ways of making a road safer following the deaths of two men in a horror crash on New Year’s Day.

Karl Buchan, 23, and Michael Shepherd, 27, were killed when a car careered into a monument in London Road, Teynham, at 1.20am.

The pair, who were backseat passengers in a blue Renault Clio, were pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

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A man driving and a woman in the front passenger seat, from Teynham, had to be cut free by firefighters and remain in a “serious but stable” condition after being airlifted to a London hospital.

The car had been travelling from Faversham towards Sittingbourne when it crashed into a water pump erected in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.

VIDEO: The scene of the horror crash in Teynham.

It is understood the Clio first hit a parked blue Peugeot 206 before ploughing into the stone monument, clipping a wall and ending up in a front garden.

The force of the crash, opposite the Dover Castle Inn, flipped the car onto its roof.

Two Swale councillors for the Teynham and Lynsted ward, Mike Whiting and Lloyd Bowen, both paid tribute to the men and also promised to investigate ways of making the road safer.

Cllr Whiting, who chairs the council’s Joint Transportation Committee, said: “I send my condolences to all those involved in this tragedy.

“It is obviously devastating for everyone. But it is not the first time this pump has been hit by a car.

“It is too early to speculate on what caused the crash but we will have to see if anything can be done to improve the safety of this stretch of road.”

Cllr Bowen, who lives in nearby Station Road, said: “I heard the sirens but did not find out what had happened until later. It is an incredibly sad start to the New Year."

He added: “There is a flashing 30mph reminder sign as drivers enter the village but I am not convinced that it is as effective as it could be. I use that stretch regularly.

“There is a slight bend in the road as it reaches the top of a hill. It has now cost two people their lives. We want to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

He said he raised his concerns at a Local Engagement Forum two weeks ago, calling for a speed camera at the spot.

Traffic is allowed to drive at 60mph before the road turns into a 30mph speed limit at the start of the village.

The deaths of Mr Buchan and Mr Shepherd, both from Faversham, sparked a wave of tributes on social media.

The taped-off crash scene also quickly became a shrine as friends and relatives began leaving a mountain of floral tributes – and glasses of beer and shots.

There was also a Gillingham FC shirt pinned to a barrier with the words: “Shep. Michael Shepard. Top Lad. Never To Be Forgotten. G13.”

Regulars at the Dover Castle Inn rushed out of the pub at the end of their New Year’s Eve celebrations as soon as they heard the collision.

Armed with fire extinguishers they tried to help the four occupants until the emergency services arrived.

Landlord Phil Hope said: “We all tried to rally together and do whatever we could to help. Everybody was great. It’s very sad.”

Paul Lilliot, who lives just a few feet from the crash, said: “After hearing two or three rather loud bangs we came out to see a car on its roof.

“My neighbour immediately phoned 999. The first to attend were the paramedics followed by the police and other services.”

Other neighbours said they were still too shocked to talk about the ordeal, which turned New Year’s Eve celebrations into a nightmare.

Det Sgt Scott Lynch of Kent Police has appealed to anyone who saw the car driving from Faversham to Teynham that night to call the force’s serious collision investigation unit on 01622 798538.