An investigation into the crash is being carried out

The man killed in a crash with another driver being pursued by police in Ceredigion has been named as the teenage father of a baby less than two weeks old.

The family and friends of Philipp Welsh from Pentregat, near Llandysul, who was 19, are said to be devastated by his death in the accident on the main A487 road outside Llanarth on Wednesday night.

An official inquiry, supervised by the Police Complaints Authority, is being carried out into the crash which also left the man who was being pursued by officers critically- injured

He was initially taken to Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth but was transferred on Thursday to Swansea's Morriston Hospital. His condition there is said to be "critical but stable".

We're all devastated about what happened. They have just had a baby Lyn Barrie, family friend

Mr Welsh was driving a red Ford Fiesta from Llanarth towards Cardigan when the car was in collision with a dark-coloured Ford Escort being pursued by a police car in the opposite direction.

Mr Welsh's partner of two years, Nicky, works at the Dolwen Residential Care Home in Llanarth.

"We're all devastated about what has happened, they have just had a new baby," said Lyn Barrie a friend who also works at the home.

Cllr Eurfyl Evans described Mr Welsh was 'an innocent victim'

"They came in last Thursday to show us and the residents that the baby had arrived and was safe and now this terrible thing has happened."

Llanarth's county councillor, Eurfyl Evans, said Mr Welsh was an 'innocent victim.'

"The tragedy is this young man was travelling home having finished a shift at the hotel where he worked," added Cllr Evans.

"He was just going home to his wife and two- week-old baby."

Mr Welsh, who had dual nationality because his mother is German, had only worked at the Conrah Hotel near Aberystwyth for a few weeks before his death.

He had recently had an interview to join the RAF.

His father is an officer in the British Army and flew back to Wales with his wife on Thursday night.

The couple are believed to be comforting Mr Welsh's partner and her parents, who live near Llangrannog.

Mr and Miss Thomas saw the pursuit

The Police Complaints Authority became involved with the investigation after Dyfed-Powys Police referred the incident to them.

It has emerged that police had been planning to use a 'stinger' operation to stop the car they were chasing.

A stinger is a device which can be thrown across the road and disable car tyres in a controlled burst.

"I understand that the control room was contacted at eight minutes past eleven and by that time the stinger operation had been set up," said Leo Pilkington, who is leading the Police Complaints Authority inquiry.

"The police are under a duty to conduct an ongoing risk assessment and must take into the situation any additional risks to members of the public.

"The object of the exercise is to stop the pursued vehicle as quickly as possible."

The accident happened a mile outside the village

Local people have been campaigning for a long time about this fast and windy road outside Llanarth where several accidents have taken place, he said.

Community councillor Geraint Hughes said protests had been made for a number of years to the county council and the Welsh assembly about how dangerous that stretch of road was.

"The assembly has said there are not enough accidents on this road to warrant any changes, but how many fatalities do we need for something to be done?" he said.