THE family of a Redditch teenager tragically killed on the Coventry Highway have been left touched by the support for their crash barrier campaign, after it was handed to the council with thousands of signatures.

2841 people backed the petition for crash barriers on all dual carriageways in Redditch, which was launched in the memory of their "fantastic, caring and funny" son and brother Ollie Sellers.

The 19-year-old died after a head-on two-car collision on the A4023 Coventry Highway in May, with his family asserting he would still be alive today had crash barriers been in place.

Ollie’s dad Paul, who handed the petition to councillor Alan Amos, cabinet member for highways at Worcestershire County Council, on Thursday, said: “The total number of signatures is fantastic.

“We thought 500 would be great initially and then it got up to 1,000 and then even higher, so the support has exceeded our expectations considerably.

“Looking on the petition page there are comments from other people who have been through similar positions to us and those are quite heart-breaking to read.

“The petition was positively received but cllr Amos said it will not be a quick process. We know there is quite a long way to go and this is just the beginning."

Cllr Amos, who has visited the stretch of road on the Coventry Highway, will discuss the petition once police inquiries into what caused Ollie’s death are complete.

He said: “I plan to sit around the table with officers, look at the facts, and see what we can do to ensure this terrible tragedy is not repeated.

“It is very tragic and very sad and the county council will do everything it can to take measures to ensure this does not happen again.”