The heartbroken family of Emily Laker who died in a car crash in Canterbury have spoken of the tragic loss of a beautiful, kind and bubbly teenager who had her whole life in front of her.

The 18-year-old former Canterbury College student was killed when a car driven by her boyfriend crashed into a tree in Shalloak Road shortly after midnight on Sunday.

She had earlier been working at the Tyler’s Kiln pub in Tyler Hill and was believed to have been on her way into Canterbury.

Her boyfriend Mentesh Da Silva, also 18, from Teynham was taken to a London hospital with serious injuries.

A third teenager from Faversham in the back of the Clio escaped with minor injuries.

Emily lived in Sturry with her mother Julie Swinerd. She had two sisters, Louise, 23, and Sophie, 16, and had spent her early childhood growing up in Chilham where she attended St Mary’s Primary School.

She later went to the Steiner School and then the Chaucer School in Canterbury.

Her dad Ross Laker, of Tankerton Road, Tankerton, said he had suffered every parent’s worst nightmare when police knocked on his door at 3am to break the devastating news.

Fighting back tears he said: “Emily was a beautiful, kind, bubbly and caring girl with a huge personality who had her whole life in front of her.

“She had finished her business studies at college and was working at the pub while keeping her options open for her future.

"Emily was a beautiful, kind, bubbly and caring girl with a huge personality who had her whole life in front of her" - Ross Laker

“She had talked about travelling to Australia and eventually wanted to work in the housing sector or with the homeless.”

Mr Laker, 49, lives with his partner Lisa Smart who is bar manager at the Tyler’s Kiln.

He said he did not want to comment on the circumstances of the crash while the police investigation continued.

He said the whole family, including her sisters, had been devastated by her death and were struggling to come to terms with it.

He added: “I would just like to thank everyone for their thoughtful messages of support and sympathy and for saying so many kind words about Emily.

Emily, who would have been 19 next month, is thought to have met Mentesh while he was also studying at Canterbury College.

She had been travelling in the front passenger seat when the Clio left the road as it passed down the hill out of Broad Oak.

It smashed into a tree and she died at the scene.

Firefighters had to free Emily and the other injured occupants from the vehicle. The road was closed for about eight hours while police conducted an investigation at the scene and the crashed car was removed for inspection.

The crash happened in the same location as a previous fatal smash in 2007 when a Romanian farm worker was killed and three of his friends were badly injured when their car also hit a tree.

Broak Oak Preservation Society chairman Alan Holden claims the latest tragedy would have been avoided if a crash barrier had been installed where the road winds downs through the trees.

He said: “Following the earlier fatal accident, the highway authorities were asked to install a protective crash barrier along this part of Shalloak Road so that another similar tragedy could not occur.

“The proposal was refused on the grounds that the accident record along this stretch of road did not justify the expense, despite the fact there had been a number of other serious collisions over a very short length of the road.

"Had action been taken in 2007, Emily’s death on Sunday morning would have been prevented" - Alan Holden, Broad Oak Preservation Society

“More accidents have occurred since 2007, and Shalloak Road has recently been named as the fourth most dangerous road in Canterbury.

“Had action been taken in 2007 to erect a protective barrier, Emily’s death on Sunday morning would have been prevented.

"Do the highway authorities consider the financial saving a sufficient justification for the death of this unfortunate young woman?”

However, county councillor for the area, Alan Marsh insists it is not a case of money but more about road engineering safety factors and the fear that a crash barrier could cause an even more serious collision.

He said: “This road is recognised as being potentially dangerous, particularly coming downhill where it needs to be driven with caution.

“Last year the county council installed 20 reflective posts at the roadside to help drivers but I do not believe a crash barrier is the solution.

“The problem with one on a road like this is that it would need to be robust enough to prevent a vehicle crashing through it but it could actually result in a car being bounced back into the path of a another vehicle coming up the hill resulting in a head-on collision and potentially even more casualties.”

Mr Marsh said he was not being complacent, however, and was offering to fund a new speed-activated, flashing “slow down” sign at the blackspot from his own member’s budget for local projects.

He said: “I’m looking into it and believe it could be a significant safety benefit and would hope to have it installed by later in the year or early next year.”

Anyone who witnessed the crash, or saw the Clio being driven just before, is asked to call police on 01622 798538, quoting reference 08-0036.

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