A BURY teacher was killed and his girlfriend seriously injured in a horrific car smash at the weekend.

Pupils at Unsworth CP School were shocked to hear the news that 30-year-old Year 6 teacher Gordon Walker was dead.

Mr Walker, of Timberhurst, Bury, had been at the school since September 1995. He previously taught at Cams Lane CP in Radcliffe.

Bury's acting chief education officer, Mr Graham Talbot, said the school were "trying to cope" with the tragic news.

Mr Walker died of his injuries after a head-on collision near Rishton on the evening of Saturday, February 1.

Fire crews spent two hours cutting free Mr Walker and his girlfriend, Elizabeth Thompson, from the wreckage of the Vauxhall Nova she was driving.

They and the driver of the other car were taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary but Mr Walker died of his injuries.

Miss Thompson, of Great Harwood, was detained in hospital with leg and back injuries. Her condition was later described as "satisfactory." She teaches in Blackburn.

The driver of the other car, a Honda Accord, was David Evans (48) of Clitheroe. He was released after treatment.

Mr Walker's parents, who live in Blackburn, were said to be "devastated" by the accident.

Lancashire Police believe Miss Thompson lost control of her Vauxhall Nova as she overtook another car on Blackburn Road, Rishton, at around 8.15pm on Saturday.

Mr Walker started teaching at Cams Lane in 1989 after studying for a teaching certificate in Leeds. He had a degree in history from the University of Lancaster.

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