A COUPLE from High Legh are considering legal action against a driver involved in a crash which killed their two children.

On Friday Cheshire Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg recorded verdicts of accidental death after hearing evidence about the final moments of Alexander and Niamh Brooker.

They died last December after their mother Alison's Fiat Punto collided head-on with a VW Passat, driven by computer consultant Richard Beal, in Cann Lane, Aston-by-Budworth.

Mr Beal, aged 44, insisted the crash was not his fault, as Mrs Brooker's car had hit a patch of ice and slid into his lane.

He had been overtaking another car seconds before the impact, to the disbelief of motorist Christine Golden, whose Citroen he passed.

Following the Macclesfield Town Hall inquest Mrs Brooker and her husband Steve, of Wrenshot Lane, expressed their disappointment that Mr Beal would not be facing criminal charges, a decision reached by police in June.

Their lawyer Carol Jackson said: "This verdict now leaves the way clear for Mr and Mrs Brooker to consider their various legal options against the driver involved."

Nine-year-old Alexander and Niamh, aged five, were being driven to school when the collision occurred.

After the inquest, the Brookers said they were relieved it was over - but that their suffering would continue.

"The tragic and unnecessary loss of our two precious children has had, and will continue to have, a devastating effect on our lives," they said in a statement.