THE senior coroner for Worcestershire has announced he will retire this July after 12 years of service to the Stourport-based coroner's court.

Geraint Williams will step down on July 1 and barrister and assistant coroner David Reid will take up the role from the same date.

The announcement, made today (Friday), comes after formal consent was secured from the chief coroner and lord chancellor.

The role of the senior coroner is to investigate and record the causes and circumstances of all sudden deaths where the cause is not known, as well as violent or unnatural deaths and any death which occurred while the deceased was in lawful custody.