A WILLASTON man died in front of his two young sons after a freak accident.

An inquest into the death of Gary Meadows heard how the father was cycling with his sons on tracks through Delamere Forest when his wheel wedged in a hidden hole sending him over the handle bars, where he broke his neck on landing.

The tragic accident happened on Sunday, June 25, last year when Mr Meadows, aged 48, of Potter Close, took his two sons, Jonathan, aged 12, and Matthew, 14, to Delamere.

The inquest, held at Warrington Town Hall in front of a jury of eight, heard how the accident happened in an area of the forest known as The Canyon, which contains several bike jumps varying in difficulty.

Mr Meadows was cycling in-between his two sons with Matthew leading when they encountered a small jump.

Cheshire coroner, Nicholas Rheinberg, heard how Matthew cycled around the hidden hole but Mr Meadows rode over it, his wheel falling into it.

Statements from Matthew and Jonathan were read out in court by PC Andrew Dudko.

Matthew said: "There was a hole covered up with ferns, I went around it but I did not see it, it was like a booby trap, you could not tell it was a hole.

"I was in front and I turned around and saw my dad tumbling off, I asked him if he was okay but there was no response," he added.

Matthew Wilcock was also cycling in the forest and heard Matthew's scream for help: "I raced back to the car to get my phone and called an ambulance," he told the court.

"I phoned the number on the gate, which said phone in emergencies, and all I got was an answering phone," he continued.

The court also heard how the ambulance crew was considerably delayed after being unable to get through the access gate.

Jonathan said in his statement: "The ambulance was on its way but the gates were locked and they could not get down the road. They had to bring the stretcher down and carry him back."

Peter Rawlinson of the Forestry Commission explained to the court that the gates normally have coded padlocks which the emergency services can access.

However, the forest had had several of these vandalised and were awaiting replacements meaning the gate was locked via a normal padlock.

Mr Rawlinson added that the forest had been having trouble from bikers building jumps across the whole 1,500 acres and so they were in the middle of an effort to concentrate the jumps in the area of The Canyon.

Andrea De Cort, Safety Inspector, told the court that the hole was 144cm by 89 cm and 34 cm deep and appeared to have been covered with ferns and bracken.

Mr Rheinberg said it would be impossible to say if the hole had been covered maliciously or as a confidence booster for another jumper.

Mr Meadows' widow, Gillian aged 40, was in court to hear the jury return a verdict of death as a result of an accident.

BY PETE HENSHAW