TWO men who have experienced the horror of death on the roads from completely opposite ends of the spectrum have forged an unlikely alliance to help other victims overcome their grief.

Steve Vasey, 40, and Andrew Smith, 32, of Durham City, have both suffered tragedy.

Steve's 14-year-old daughter, Cheryl, was killed in a car crash on August 30, 1997, the same day Princess Diana and boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed died in a Paris road accident.

Andrew was behind the wheel of a lorry when a 56-year-old woman stepped out in front of him in a London street and was killed instantly.

Now the pair have come together to form a group for others affected by accidents.

The group's first meeting will be at Vane Tempest Community Centre, Gilesgate, Durham City, on Tuesday, September 5, at 7.30pm. There will be a small charge to cover the hire of the room.

Andrew, of Ushaw Moor, said: "Although I had a lot support from people around me at the time, there was nobody who knew how I felt and what I was going through.

"The aim of the group is to be with like-minded people who have experienced the things which happened to myself and Steve.

"We are not a professional counselling group, we are a group who want to try and help support each other through these times.

"It takes a long time to come to terms with something and it can be horrible. It's something you think about every day, but you learn to cope."

Steve, who lives at Pity Me with wife Lynn, 37, and son Lee, 19, said: "There is a definite need for people in this situation to express themselves.

"I know from my own experience talking to people in a similar situation helped me.

"There was nobody else who understood my feelings. It's human instinct to say you'll be all right, but these things need to come out.

"We hope to encourage people to come forward and in helping themselves they can help others at the same time."