A family has been left devastated by the sudden deaths of an entire generation of siblings.

Leslie Hedley, 55, died in a car accident with her sister Jesdene Johnston, 58, while on holiday in Canada.

The accident happened just over a month after their older brother Peter Callard, of Newcastle, died of a heart attack on holiday in Thailand.

Family member Brooke Hedley paid tribute to her mother, Leslie, and spoken about the devastation felt by the family.

Miss Hedley, of Villa Real, Consett, said: "When I heard my mother and her sister had been killed in a car crash, I thought it was some kind of practical joke.

"I just could not absorb the enormity of it. My mother was my best friend and she was loved by all."

Miss Hedley said her mother was still sorting out the estate of her brother when she went to visit her sister in Vancouver.

She added: "My grandmother, Jane, is taking it particularly badly. What makes it all the more difficult to bear is that my mother had just discovered a new zest for life."

Miss Hedley said her uncle, who was in his sixties, had had heart problems, but his death still came as a shock.

Miss Hedley said her mother and sister crashed on the freeway on Sunday, September 12.

She said: "They swerved and hit another car. There is no explanation as to the how the accident happened."

Miss Hedley said her mother, of Surtees Place, Blackhill, Consett, was known by everyone to be full of life.

She said: "My mother was well loved in the community. She changed her appearance over the past five years, including dying her hair, and became totally youthful again. She enjoyed life to the fullest extent and went out socialising a lot more with her friends, which she never used to. It makes it all the more tragic that she had a new zest for life."

Miss Hedley's fiancee, Stephen McDonald, who has been supporting her through her trauma, said: "We were overwhelmed by the response from the community and would like to thank everyone for the many flowers and cards we received."

Miss Hedley said her mother and her sister, who had been married to Canadian marine biologist Tom Johnston, were cremated following a funeral service in Vancouver.

She said: "We were unable to make the service but we will be travelling over to pay our respects."