Bethany Kendrick feared that pal Cerri Sharples wouldn't be safe in the high-performance motor she had only bought that day, especially as she had earlier rowed with her ex-boyfriend and may also have had a drink.

The 38-year-old was driving the red Toyota MR2 along Scot Lane at Beech Hill on Monday night when it careered out of control and crashed side-on with a Peugeot 206 travelling in the opposite direction. Witnesses say it had earlier been seen driving "erratically."

She was mortally injured and both she and a passenger - Stephen Hitchen, the brother of a friend she was giving a lift to - had to be cut free from the wreckage by firefighters.

Stephen, like the two 27-year-old women in the silver Peugeot, escaped with only minor injuries, but Cerri was pronounced dead in the ambulance on the way to Wigan Infirmary.

Her family were today trying to come to terms with what is a second recent tragedy to befall them. Less than three years ago, Cerri's brother Tony "Tug" Wilson died at his Shevington home.

In a statement issued thr0ough the police, her family said: "Cerri was the loving mother of five young sons, aged six to 14-years-old, and the beloved daughter of William and Theresa.

"She had a large family and a lot of friends, having spent all her life in Wigan. Until recently, she had worked as a care assistant in a retirement home.

"Cerri was moving into a new phase of her life and was hoping to move into a new home to spend more time with her children.
"She was full of life and was a popular person who will be greatly missed by all."

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