A BUILDER who died from head injuries suffered while on a night out in York with friends may have been killed in a hit-and-run incident.

Detectives now believe that Andrew Hickox could have been hit by a vehicle rather than been attacked.

Having ruled out that he was the victim of an assault, they plan to concentrate their inquiries on finding the vehicle driver.

The move follows a postmortem on the 42-year-old by Home Office pathologist Professor Chris Milroy.

His examination found that Mr Hickox died from a single blow to the head, consistent with being hit by a vehicle.

Mr Hickox, a father-of-three from Elland near Halifax, was injured during a night out in York last Saturday.

He was found in Lower Friargate in the early hours of Sunday morning, having collapsed. He was suffering from a fractured skull.

Detectives yesterday launched a wide-ranging investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death and began checking security camera footage of vehicles travelling through the city centre streets.

Officers have also begun interviewing taxi drivers and restaurant workers.

Posters detailing the last movements of Mr Hickox are being distributed in the city centre.

Detective Sergeant John Roberts, of York CID, said the response from members of the public to appeals for information had been "quite poor".

He urged anyone who was in the area at the time to contact the incident room on (01904) 618503.

Mr Hickox died at York Hospital early on Thursday morning without regaining consciousness.

His parents, Harold, 75, and Doreen, 72, had maintained a bedside vigil.