THE family of an Evesham motorist killed when his car went out of control is calling for road and signage improvements.

David Meddings was driving to work along Worcester Road when the accident happened in the early hours on Saturday, January 20.

His mother Angie made the call for improvements following an inquest held at Kidderminster Town Hall on Monday.

Earlier, recording a verdict of accidental death, Worcestershire's assistant deputy coroner, Dr Nigel Garbutt listed a catalogue of circumstances which together may have contributed to the 23-year-old, of Yew Tree Close, losing control of his Vauxhall Vectra.

The inquest heard the road surface at the junction of the Squires, near where the accident took place, was in a poor condition, and water regularly poured off it over the A4538 into the culvert where Mr Meddings' car came to rest upside down.

At about 6am on the Saturday morning there was ice on the road, and no witnesses when Mr Meddings' car ploughed through the Chadbury village sign, hit a tree and landed upside down into a culvert containing 1.5 meters of freezing water.

Although a caravanner was awoken by the noise at the time, the accident was not discovered until about 8am when another neighbour spotted the car.

Accident investigator PC David Sidley said no road gritting had taken place that morning and signs by the roadside, warning of slippery conditions, were not clearly visible.

"It's possible a sheet of ice had formed around a bend which led to the car going out of control," he added.

"There's no evidence that the car was being driven at high speed."

Dr Garbutt said a "sequence of events led to the fatality.

Barrier erected

"Salt put down the day before had been washed away and the road wasn't in good condition to help with adhesion to stop skidding."

Since the accident a steel barrier has been erected along the Worcester Road above the culvert, however the road remains in the same condition and water still pours off it.

Mrs Meddings, who attended the inquest with her husband Alan and son Dan, said: "People have been calling for this junction to be improved since the 1970s, but were always told the county didn't have the money.

"This junction and the signs should be urgently improved."