TWO local men have died in road traffic collisions during the weekend.

Abergavenny man Kevin Thomas died when his car left the road at Llantilio Pertholey on Saturday morning and Blaenavon publican Jason 'Pow' Powell died when the motorcycle he was riding was involved in a three car collision on Varteg Road on Friday evening.

Police are seeking information on both incidents and have revealed that Mr Thomas's body was not discovered for three hours after his Peugeot 306 car crashed through a wooden fence at Llantilio Pertholey on Saturday morning.

Police estimate that the incident occurred between 6am and 7am and led to the vehicle coming to rest in a heavily wooded area in the garden of the home of Donald and Margaret Gordon.

The couple noticed that the fence had been damaged as they left their house at 9.30am and initially nothing more about it.

But as the couple drove off Mrs Gordon began thinking that the damage was unusual and they returned home to check it out.

A short while later Mr Gordon found the badly damaged Peugeot in the undergrowth with Mr Thomas still inside. He immediately called the emergency services who cordoned off the road.

Police were at the scene until 5pm whilst the vehicle was recovered.

Tributes in the form of flowers have been left at the scene in memory of Mr Thomas.

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said: "We are appealing for information following a fatal road traffic collision on Hereford Road.

"No one else was in the car and at this stage of enquiries and police don't believe any other vehicles were involved."

Anyone with any information should contact the police on 101.

The family of Mr Powell - best known locally as the landlord of the Queen Vic pub in Blaenavon - have paid tribute to the loving father and grandfather who died when his black Suzuki motorcycle was involved in a collision with a car and a van at around 5pm on Friday.

The family of Jason Powell, aged 45 and known to his friends and family as 'Pow' said he was a "loveable rogue" who would be "dearly missed".

Mr Powell's family said in a statement issued through Gwent Police: "Pow will be dearly missed as a friend to the locals, as a husband to Natalie, a dad to Nischa and devoted bamby to Bailey.

"Pow was a loveable rogue and loved by everyone as the landlord of the Queen Vic, Blaenavon."

Blaenavon's Varteg Road was closed for several hours to allow police to start their investigation. No-one else was hurt in the crash but the woman driving the car was taken to hospital as a precaution.