SIX police officers were commended for their actions in response to a lorry ploughing into the back of a car which killed four people on the A34.

Thames Valley Chief Constable Francis Habgood awarded commendations to six road policing officers and two corporate communications officers for their work August last year.

Four members of a family were killed instantly and one person seriously injured after a lorry, driven by Tomasz Kroker, smashed into a queue of cars on the A34 near East Isley.

Kroker, 30, admitted he had been changing music on his phone at the time of the crash and was jailed for ten years.

Inspector Andy Storey, Sergeant Jack Hawkins, Detective Sergeant Gavin Collier, PC David Beeson, PC John Simpkins, PC Philip Hanham, digital communications officer Ellie Selby and media officer Lucy Billen were presented with the commendations from Mr Habgood on Tuesday.

Insp Storey said “Our thoughts remain with the family members who have been affected by this terrible, and avoidable, collision which resulted in the loss of their loved ones.”

Tracy Houghton, 45, from Bedfordshire, and the three children travelling in the car with her - her two sons Josh Houghton, 11, and Ethan Houghton, 13, and her step-daughter Aimee Goldsmith, 11, - all died at the scene. A further five people were injured in the collision.

It was revealed that father-of-one Kroker had signed the declaration form on the same day as the crash promising that he would never use a hand-held mobile phone or hands-free kit while driving.

As part of their work, Thames Valley Police released the footage which showed the moments in the lead up to the smash, as Kroker is distracted while changing the music on his phone. He admitted causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.