The jury in the trial of a man accused of causing the deaths of ten men in the Selby train crash was told yesterday how he had driven "courteously" along a motorway.

Lorry driver George Garner said he saw Gary Hart driving along the M62 shortly before his Land Rover and trailer plunged down an embankment on to the East Coast mainline on February 28.

Mr Garner said he was about to overtake a slow-moving tanker in his articulated lorry when he noticed a vehicle behind him.

He told the jury the driver flashed him and hung back, which he said he understood from the "driver's code" meant he was letting him go ahead.

Mr Garner, a former policeman, said he then went past the tanker and pulled back into the inside lane.

At that point, the vehicle which had flashed him came past, the jury was told.

Mr Garner said: ''As he passed me, I saw it was a Land Rover and trailer. As he had been courteous to me I flashed my indicators to show he had room to pull back in.

"He drove on a bit and then pulled in, flashing his left and right indicators, which is the driver's code for 'thank you'.

"At no stage did I see anything about his driving to alarm me."

The jury was also read statements from people who had worked with Mr Hart in the building industry.

Kevin Bennett, a warehouse manager, described Mr Hart as hard-working, amiable and courteous, and said he enjoyed working with him.

In his statement, Mr Bennett described Mr Hart as "hands-on" and said it was "not unusual to see him up to his knees in concrete".

The court has heard how Mr Hart's Land Rover and trailer plunged down an embankment from the M62 and on to train tracks.

Moments later, it was hit by a southbound GNER express train travelling at 117mph, which then collided with a fully-laden train carrying 1,600 tonnes of coal.

Ten men - six commuters and four railway staff - lost their lives in the accident, which happened near the North Yorkshire village of Great Heck, near Selby.

Earlier in the trial, the prosecution alleged that Mr Hart had spent the night before the accident chatting to a woman - Kristeen Panter - who he had met over the Internet.

Mr Hart, 37, of Strubby, Lincolnshire, denies ten counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

The trial at Leeds Crown Court was adjourned until Monday.