FORMER colleagues of a police officer killed in a road accident while responding to an emergency call today (Wednesday, January 9) visited the scene to pay their respects.

With their heads bowed, the officers from Greater Manchester Police paid tribute to PC Andrew Bramma.

The married father of two young children died on Saturday, January 5, when his patrol van left the road and hit a tree on the A6108 just outside West Tanfield, near Ripon, North Yorkshire.

The 32-year-old had left the Rochdale division of Greater Manchester police four months earlier to join the North Yorkshire force.

PC Bramma was responding to reports of a traffic accident at about 7pm when the accident happened. He was the only person in the van.

About a dozen of his former colleagues, who had travelled up from the Greater Manchester area, spent a few moments of silence at the roadside.

Visibly upset, they took it in turns to add to the many poignant tributes around the foot of the tree, which still bears the scars of the tragedy.

They added flowers, photographs of the officer and a police helmet.

Other flowers had already been left by his North Yorkshire colleagues, firefighters and his parents.

A single red poppy had also been tied to the tree which read: “RIP 233”.

They also pinned to the tree their own obituary to PC Bramma, which began: “An ode to a friend, colleague and great police officer and loving family man” and went on to describe their fond memories of him."

The officers were from Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) Rochdale division, where PC Bramma worked from October 2008 until August 2012 as a response officer.

Earlier in the week, North Yorkshire Police described their “overwhelming sadness” at the police officer’s loss.

Temporary Chief Constable Tim Madgwick, said the serving officer’s colleagues felt an “overwhelming sense of sadness” which was shared by the entire force. Yesterday morning he met visiting Rochdale officers.

The Health and Safety Executive is to carry out an investigation into the cause of the crash. Anyone who witnessed the collision, is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101.