CHESHIRE'S Chief Constable has expressed his dismay over the carnage on the county's roads over the Easter weekend.

Peter Fahy spoke of his regret at the rising numbers of fatalities after four people died during the holiday period.

It brings the total this year to 18.

And Mr Fahy predicted 50 more people - in his words, 'a coachful' - would be killed on Cheshire roads by Christmas.

On Good Friday, a 45-year-old woman from Wimboldsley died following a crash on the A530 Nantwich Road. The same day, two Manchester men died after a three-vehicle collision, involving an HGV tanker, at Mount Bello Castle, Knutsford.

Two days later, on Easter Sunday, a 30-year-old pedestrian died in an accident involving a Citroen Saxo in Northwich.

Mr Fahy said a single road death cost about £1 million in emergency services and hospital bills. The emotional cost to grieving families was incalculable, he added.

In March, 38-year-old Neil Hines, from Woolston, was the first man to be killed on the town's roads this year.

Mr Fahy said: "I am surprised people do not get more angry about this awful waste of life. Speed itself does not cause all collisions, but when a speeding vehicle comes into contact with another vehicle, a pedestrian, tree or a road sign, it makes the difference between life and death.

"The message is quite simple - we need drivers to slow down and take more care particularly on the country roads of Cheshire."