A WEEKEND fishing trip ended in tragedy when two cars were involved in a fatal crash on the Heads of the Valleys Road.

The accident occurred at 1.20am on Sunday on the A465 at the roundabout between Dowlais Top and Rhymney, when a Nissan Prairie and a Vauxhall Cavalier were in collision.

The driver of the Nissan, a 52-year-old man from Nantyglo, suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead on arrival at Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil.

The two male passengers in his car, who are also from Nantyglo, escaped with minor injuries. The driver of the Cavalier, also from the Nantyglo area, remained in the hospital overnight in a "serious condition".

There is no indication the two drivers knew each other and police have not yet released the names of the men.

The stretch of road was closed for just under eight hours while accident investigators inspected the scene.

Detectives last night confirmed the motorist who died was returning from a fishing trip when the tragedy occurred.

Gwent Police Inspector Steve Taylor told the Argus: "We believe the deceased was returning from a fishing trip and was returning home with two friends who were also injured, but not seriously."

He said detectives were now urging witnesses to come forward.

Yesterday's fatality is the latest in a string of tragic deaths on the road.

In January the National Assembly announced the start of road-widening work on approximately three and a half miles of the A465 between Tredegar and Dowlais Top which is expected to take 30 months to complete.

In the same month Llanfoist mother-of-three Karen Gorton died when her vehicle was involved in a head-on collision near her home.

The Assembly says the A465 Abergavenny to Gilwern stretch of the Heads of the Valleys will not become a dual carriageway until 2005, and dualling of the Gilwern to Tredegar stretch will begin after March of that year.

But the number of accidents on the road led Monmouthshire county councillor Andre Arkell to call for the Assembly to carry out all the work "as a matter of urgency".

Latest figures from Gwent Consultancy show that in the last three years up to November 2001 between the Hardwick Roundabout and Dowlais Top there were 93 accidents, three fatal, 11 serious and 79 minor.

* Gwent Police can be contacted on 01633 838111.