Tributes have been paid to a 66-year-old woman who died trying to rescue her dog when it ran on to the M4 north of Cardiff.
Patricia Connors was hit by a Ford Transit van during rush hour on Friday after her pet ran on to the carriageway near Cardiff Gate services.
Connors was pronounced dead at the scene and the westbound carriageway was closed for five hours between junctions 29 and 32.
In a statement released through South Wales police the family said: “The family of Patricia Joyce Connors are heartbroken trying to come to terms with a tragic accident that has taken a loving mum, grandmother and great-grandmother.”
On social media, Bernie Claire May wrote: “Heartbroken. R.I.P. my beautiful auntie.”
Police have appealed for people to come forward who may have witnessed the incident, which occurred at 6:15pm.
“A dog belonging to a female driver of a white VW Golf vehicle is believed to have entered the carriageway followed by the driver of the VW Golf vehicle,” police said.
“A Ford Transit vehicle has collided with the 66-year-old female who was pronounced deceased at the scene. A police family liaison officer has been appointed and is supporting the next of kin.
“The motorway was closed for approximately five hours while police carried out initial investigations and recovered the vehicles. South Wales police would like to thank the people affected by the closure for their patience and understanding.”
Connors’ husband and son, who were jailed last year following a high-profile modern slavery case, are applying for a temporary release from prison on compassionate grounds so they can attend her funeral.
Patrick Joseph Connors, 60, his son Patrick Dean Connors, 40, and nephew William Connors, 37, were all convicted of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour between 2010 and 2013.
The men were found guilty of keeping their two victims – one of whom was identified as Michael Hughes, 47 – in “appalling conditions” and paying them as little as £5. The judge at Cardiff crown court said the case could “only be described as modern-day slavery”.
Connors senior received a 14-year sentence, and was also convicted of eight counts of assault, four of kidnap and one of conspiracy to kidnap. Patrick Dean received a six-and-a-half year sentence and William was jailed for four years.
