Horror as police officer on his way to the scene of a fatal crash is told his wife was among the victims

A police officer on his way to the scene of a horror crash that killed two people was told by colleagues that his wife was one of the victims.

Emergency services were called to the crash in which three cars and a van collided on the A75 in Dumfriesshire early on Tuesday morning.

Police confirmed yesterday that Nissan driver Melissa Delaney, 41, and a 35-year-old man driving the van were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Mrs Delaney’s traffic police officer husband was on his way to the incident before he discovered his wife was involved, it is understood.

The scene of the accident on the A75 in Dumfriesshire where Melissa Delaney was killed

The families of both victims have been informed, Police Scotland said yesterday.

Tributes have been paid to nurse Mrs Delaney, who lived in Dumfries.

She had been involved with the Dumfries Baton Twirlers (DBT) club for almost fifteen years and was an active member of the fundraising committee.

The club extended its ‘heartfelt condolences’ to her family and said the mother was ‘one of the best supporters for all our members and was so proud of her two girls’.

The message continued: “Every athlete, parent and supporter of our club is hurting today. We can’t imagine that any competition or journey will ever be the same again.’

Club member Abbie Davidson said: “At DBT we are one big family, and it is only when something as tragic as this happens that you realize how lucky you are to be surrounded by such a strong and supportive group of people.

“Our family will never be the same without you, Mel.

“You have raised such strong, beautiful and talented girls who will remain an absolute credit to you.”

Others on social media have also paid tribute to Ms Delaney.

One message said she would “truly be missed by everyone” and that she was a “beautiful person inside and out.”

Others described their heartbreak at death.

One message said she would “truly be missed by everyone” and that she was a “beautiful person inside and out”

Sarah Wilson, who said Ms Delaney was her childhood neighbour, described the death as ‘horrific’. She said: ‘This news has devastated the lives of so many and shows how loved she really was. I have only happy memories of her and I will never forget that eternal smile on her face.’

The identity of the 35-year-old man who died has not been released. The 49-year-old driver of the other car was uninjured.

Highway Patrol Inspector Adnan Alam said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those who died, and everyone involved in the collision.

“We will continue to provide them with support as our investigations continue.” Emergency services were called to the horrific crash scene on the A75, near the B721, near Annan at around 6.20am.

The crash involved a Peugeot Boxer van, a Nissan Qashqai and a Renault Clio, police said.

Mr Alam said: “I would like to speak to anyone who saw what happened or anyone with dashcam footage from the A75 around the time. Please review your footage and bring anything of interest to our attention.”