STAFF and students mourned the loss of one of their brightest pupils yesterday.

Suzanne Preen died on Friday night when her car left the road as she approached the Pity Me roundabout on the A167, near Durham, and hit a steel fence and trees.

The 18-year-old had just finished her A-levels at Wolsingham School and Community College - where she was regarded as a bright student - and was waiting to start a computing degree at university.

A counselling service is being set up at the school, to help students cope with their grief, and yesterday special assemblies were held for each year group, to help them come to terms with the loss.

The vicar of Wolsingham parish church, the Reverend Malcolm Goodall, led a church service. He said staff and students were inconsolable.

He said: "I've never seen so many people so distraught. There were boys, girls and teachers crying. There was an awful lot of youngsters in church for the service. I was amazed how many came along, she was a very, very popular girl."

The Reverend John Marshall, a friend of the family, will lead a funeral service at St Andrews Church, in South Church, near Bishop Auckland, on Saturday. Ms Preen will be buried at Wolsingham church.

l An inquest into her death is due to open at 1.30pm today, at the coroner's office at Post Office House, Crook.