Victim of fatal RTA was popular local barman

THE MAN who died following a traffic collision on Friday night the A4 Bath Road at Halfway has been named.

He was 23-year-old James Robert Ballantyne of Hungerford Newtown.

Mr Ballantyne was driving a red Mazda MX5 when he was involved in the collision with a red Skoda Fabia around 6.15pm.

He was taken to Southampton General Hospital but died as a result of his injuries on Sunday morning.

The female driver of a Skoda, aged 60, sustained injuries and was taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital for treatment but has since been released.

Mr Ballantyne’s family has released the following statement: “James attended Chilton Foliat Primary School and St Barts where he entertained his Curnock housemates with his magic acts.

"He then headed off to Cardiff for an Electronic engineering degree before returning to Hungerford to work for Fuel Cell Systems. He enjoyed fencing and had been treasurer of Newbury fencing Club and also fenced at Marlborough.

"He was a popular volunteer barman at his local community pub The Tally Ho. He was on the NHS Organ Donor Register so was able to give the gift of life to others."

PC Melanie Todd, from the Roads Policing Serious Collision Investigation Unit based at Three Mile Cross, said: “This is a tragic loss of life and we would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the collision so we can establish exactly what happened.”

If you saw what happened or have any information about the collision, please contact PC Todd via the 24-hour Thames Valley Police enquiry centre on 101, quoting URN 1374 03/07/15.

If you don’t want to speak to police directly, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.