Flowers at tragic Preston New Road crash scene where missing Preston men were discovered 10 days later
William Hutchinson, 31, and Stuart Tallis, 27, were missing for 10 days before the pair were discovered at the scene of the wreck...
Floral tributes have been left at the crash scene where two men from Preston were tragically found dead at the weekend.
William Hutchinson, 31, and Stuart Tallis, 27, were missing for 10 days before the pair were sadly discovered inside William’s blue Peugeot shortly after 12pm on Saturday (July 4).
Police officers found the wreck hidden from view, in thick undergrowth off the westbound carriageway of the A584 Preston New Road, close to its junction with the A583 Blackpool Road at Newton with Clifton.
William and Stuart had last been seen in the early hours of Wednesday, June 24, and had separately been reported missing. Enquiries led Lancashire Police to believe they had been together and officers were actively carrying out enquiries to find them.
More than a week after they were reported missing, specialist search officers discovered William’s blue Peugeot 106 in an overgrown thicket of bushes and small trees, just feet from the road.
What happened?
Lancashire Police say the investigation into the fatal crash is ongoing, but they believe the Peugeot veered off the road at around 5.30am on June 24, and went undiscovered for the next 10 days.
The force is now appealing for any witnesses who saw a blue Peugeot 106 on the A584 Preston New Road in the minutes prior to 5.30am to get in touch.
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Sgt Martin Wilcock, from the force’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Two men have lost their lives in what appears to be extremely tragic circumstances, and my thoughts are very much with their loved ones at this sad time.
“I know a number of my colleagues were involved in the searches for William and Stuart and I know they were hoping for a happier conclusion.
“My job now is to establish the full circumstances which led to the collision, and that is why I would ask any witnesses or anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage which could help the investigation to make contact with my officers.”
Anyone with information can email Lancashire Police on [email protected] or call 101 and quote log 613 of July 4 2026.