A CORONER has joined a grieving mother in calling for action to avoid further tragedy on a dangerous country junction.

Richard Stokes, 24, died of head and chest injuries last August after colliding with a van as he pulled out from Lodge Lane onto Eaton Road near his Tilston Fearnall home.

The inquest heard that long grasses at the sharp junction restricted his view and he had no way of seeing oncoming traffic without crossing the give way line.

At the time of his death, his mother Sian Mallon appealed for visibility to be improved at the junction, which her son normally avoided.

'It wants sorting,' she said. 'If anybody else dies there, let it be on the council and highways' conscience.'

In an inquest yesterday, Cheshire coroner Nicholas Rheinberg pledged to write to the Chief Road Safety Engineer, Richard Nixon.

He said: 'It seems to me that it would be appropriate to take some action in order to seek to avoid a similar tragedy.'

The Chester inquest heard that Mr Stokes, a merchant seaman, was travelling in his Renault 214 to meet friends at 6.45pm on August 5 of last year.

Whitchurch builder Martin Smith was driving his van along Eaton Road at 50mph as Mr Stokes pulled out in front of him.

Mr Smith said: 'It (the car) just came out, it was just there. The views on that junction are very poor and he just appeared. There was no warning, I had no time to react. I tried to swerve to the right to miss him but it was too late.'

Collision investigator PC Guy Hopley said visibility was impaired by the junction's sharp angle, long vegetation on the verge and in the neighbouring field and a Cheshire fence.

'From a driver's position halted at the junction with the front of the car on the give way line, the view of any approaching traffic is not more than 35 metres.

'The view improves only minimally as the car moves towards the junction. Even at one-and-a-half metres from the line the view is still poor.'

Investigators found Mr Smith only had a fraction of a second to react as the car appeared in front of him.

PC Hopley said Cheshire highways officers have already spoken to the landowner about altering the pattern of crop growth next year.

Verdict: Misadventure.