FAULTY brakes may have contributed to the death of a Northumberland man, who was killed when his ageing Ford Capri left the road.

An inquest in Easingwold, North Yorkshire, yesterday was told that 29-year-old John Graham, of Cramlington, was on his way to a conference in Manchester, and had set off early on the morning of February 28 this year, as snow flurries fell across the region.

However, a change of shift meant there had been a lull in the gritting of the A1 in North Yorkshire, allowing ice to form on some parts.

Witnesses saw Mr Graham's D-registered car spin and then leave the road near Leeming Bar, careering into a hedge.

He died of head injuries caused by parts of a fence, which shattered when hit by the Capri.

The hearing was told a police investigation revealed that the fence had been built contrary to Highways Agency advice, which suggested horizontal bars were attached to posts on the side furthest from the road, reducing the risk of them becoming lethal spears in a crash.

However, Traffic Constable Graham McCulloch told coroner Michael Oakley it was impossible to say if Mr Graham would have survived if the fence had been built differently.

There were other factors which may have contributed to the accident, including the weather, the fact that Mr Graham - a psychiatric nurse - was not wearing a seatbelt, and the poor condition of the brakes on his car.

TC McCulloch said one of the front brakes was barely working, while both rear brakes were defective, which could have contributed to Mr Graham losing control.

Mr Oakley recorded a verdict of accidental death.