A 26-year-old Peebles man killed in a car crash at the weekend is the latest victim of a tragically high tally of deaths on the region’s rural roads.

Oliver Eaton died when his blue Audi collided with a tree on the A721 near Kirkdean, at around 9.50pm on Sunday.

Emergency services were called to the scene and paramedics took him to Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary, but despite the best efforts of medics, he later succumbed to his injuries.

Mr Eaton was travelling on the eastbound carriageway from the A702 when his car left the road and hit a nearby tree.

Police are now appealing for witnesses to come forward and want to hear from anyone who was in the area around the time of the smash.

In particular, they want to speak with anyone who saw the vehicle prior to the collision travelling in close proximity to a black BMW.

Sergeant Neil Inglis of the Road Policing Unit based at Galashiels said: “Tragically this collision has resulted in the death of a young man.

“Our inquiries into this matter are continuing as we work toward establishing the full set of circumstances.

“I would encourage anyone who was travelling on the A702 or A721 at around 9.50pm or shortly beforehand on Sunday to contact us immediately if they witnessed either of these vehicles.

“In addition, anyone with information relevant to this inquiry should also get in touch.”

Mr Eaton’s death is the latest tragedy on the Borders' roads and, according to Police Scotland, rural routes are statistically more dangerous.

Between April 2014 and March 2015, 69 people were killed or seriously injured on Borders roads.

This compares with 27 in neighbouring Midlothian – which is considered to be more urban – and 89 in the rural Dumfries and Galloway.

There were no fatal road accidents in Midlothian during that time, but seven in the Borders and 10 in Dumfries and Galloway.

Scottish Borders Council told the Peeblesshire News: “Around 55 per cent of road deaths in Scotland happen on country roads, therefore the figures for the Scottish Borders are always likely to be higher than those of a more urban authority, although we work hard to minimise these as much as possible, through engineering solutions and training.”