BLIZZARDS claimed the life of a popular rally fan when a car driven by his brother was in collsion with a council gritter.

Ian Close, 39, was in the back seat of a Peugeot 306 driven by his 35-year-old brother, Trevor, when the accident happened on the A68, near Darlington, on Sunday night.

The brothers, from Willington, County Durham, were travelling back from a rally in Ripon, North Yorkshire, with 23-year-old Carl Thornton, who lives at West Auckland, County Durham.

All three were members of a back-up team supporting garage owner Steve Petch's SGP Motor Sports entry in the Riponian Stages Rally around North Yorkshire.

Trevor was being treated in Darlington Memorial Hospital yesterday for a broken leg and internal injuries. His condition was "comfortable" last night.

Mr Thornton sustained back injuries. The driver of the Darlington Borough Council snowplough escaped without serious injury.

Conditions of the road at the time of the accident were described as "treacherous".

It is believed the car span out of control and its rear end smashed into the wagon on Houghton Bank, near Heighington.

Willington residents said the accident was the latest in a line of tragedies to hit the family. The brothers lost their mother, Connie, just a month ago and their father, Basil, last year. About ten years ago their sister, Carol, died from cancer. There are two other sisters, Gillian and Janet.

Mr Petch said Ian often took to the wheel as a co-driver while Trevor acted as a navigator.

Speaking from his Darlington garage he said: "Ian was a rally driver for quite some years now. He's got a lot of rallying friends and acquaintances and it's very sad to hear it's happened.

"It's a massive shock; a lot of the lads here were with him yesterday afternoon. Ian and Trevor were working with the service crew at the rally. It was after they left the service van at our premises in Darlington that it happened. It's very sad. The Closes are all super people. We just can't believe it's happened."

The Riponian one-day rally attracts people from all over the country, who take part in the races through Ripon town and nearby forests.

The Ripon Motor Sport Club organises the event. Brian Hughes, from the organisation, said: "It is very sad when anything like this happens, we're quite a close-knit community."