ONE person tragically died during a week of traffic chaos which has seen 17 accidents in the area.

Police say driver error was the cause of some accidents, others were due to the appalling weather on Sunday, while the fatality was blamed on mechanical failure.

But the police traffic liaison officer is investigating the Middle Wallop junction where there were two, almost identical crashes over the weekend - making a total of four accidents and two traffic incidents in a month.

Some 15 of the accidents happened over the weekend. There were just two in which no one was hurt. Most of the remainder involved minor injuries.

The fatal accident happened on Saturday morning. Amanda Burne, aged 23, from Reading, was a pillion passenger on a Suzuki 1400 Cavalcade motorcycle which was westbound in lane one of the A303 dual carriageway at Thruxton Down.

It was being driven by her fianc, a 38-year-old Reading man. The couple were due to marry on 1 November.

She died at the scene. The rider was treated for a broken ankle at Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester and released.

Officers are investigating reports that the rear wheel locked.

Police are appealing for any witnesses to contact Pc David Dyer at Whitchurch traffic on 0845 045 45 45.

There were two separate accidents at the Middle Wallop crossroads on Saturday and Sunday.

The first happened at 8.55am on Saturday and involved a Renault Clio, a Fiesta and a Suzuki Vitara. One person from each car was taken to hospital in Winchester but none suffered life- threatening injuries.

The second accident at the same spot happened at 3.15pm on Sunday involving a VW Passat, a VW Polo and a Peugeot 405. The driver and passenger in the Polo were taken to the Winchester hospital for treatment.

There were two more accidents in the area on Tuesday afternoon, although no-one was injured in either incident.

The first happened on the A30 near Stockbridge and involved a Fiesta driven by a woman from Winchester and a Range Rover driven by a woman from Chilbolton.

The second involved a Rover whose male driver apparently lost control on a bend in King's Somborne opposite the Old Parsonage. The vehicle slid down an embankment.