A GRIEVING mother-of-two today spoke of her heartbreak after the man she was going to marry was killed in a road crash on the notorious A140.Gary Oakley, 32, died after his bread van collided with a lorry, at Creetings Bottom, on the Suffolk stretch of the road.

A GRIEVING mother-of-two today spoke of her heartbreak after the man she was going to marry was killed in a road crash on the notorious A140.

Gary Oakley, 32, died after his bread van collided with a lorry, at Creetings Bottom, on the Suffolk stretch of the road.

Mr Oakley was the 73rd person to be killed on the notorious road, according to Suffolk County Council, since 1980. And The Evening Star has campaigned tirelessly over the years to make the heavily used main road between Norwich and Ipswich safer.

Today, his partner Tanya Lawrence, of Millers Lane, Norwich, spoke of how the horrific accident, on Friday, had devastated her and the couple's five-year-old twins Azure and Merson.

Ms Lawrence, who also volunteers for volunteers for Norfolk and Norwich Voluntary Services, added: "It seems that it is gong to take more and more deaths before they do anything about the A140. I think Highways should look at why all these accidents are happening."

Ms Lawrence, 31, who had been closed friends with Gary since the age of eight, said: "He was a really good dad — the children idolised him.

She said they had not got married yet because they had been so busy with the children, but were planning to tie the knot later this year.

A few months ago Mr Oakley took up a job as a delivery driver for Allied Bakeries in Norwich.

Ms Lawrence added: "Ironically we had a car accident back in May on the Acle Straight and the whiplash meant he cold not lift. He had damaged muscles in the back so he gave up his previous job in the motor trade."

Two nights a week he would head off in the evening, load up the van with

Bread, deliver it and return in the morning at about 8.30am.

But last week he never made it home.

Ms Lawrence recalled how after dropping her two children at school she saw two police officers waiting on her doorstep.

"It did not dawn on me at all why they were there," she said.

But when they broke the bad news, she collapsed on the living room floor.

"I just thought this can't be real. And it still feels like I am just going to wake up. I was just in total shock.

She added: "I am still numb. It feels really surreal. My whole life

has been ripped away. He was a brilliant, brilliant man.

"I told the children daddy had gone to heaven. They can't really explain

how they feel, but my daughter is doing lots of drawings. I have got a huge stack of drawings I am going to put in his coffin with him.

"I am trying to keep everything normal for them but it's very hard because

he was rock to me.

Mr Oakley's funeral will take place on February 17 at St Faith's Crematorium.