HALTON Council may have to improve safety on the Runcorn busway after Cheshire's coroner cited six foot tall hedges surrounding it as a factor in the road death of a Runcorn teenager last September.

Darren Pearson, 18, from Exmouth Crescent in Murdishaw, died when the car in which he was a passenger collided with a Halton Transport bus at the junction between the busway and Palacefields Avenue - a frequent venue for accidents.

Coroner John Hibbert said at the inquest into Pearson's death: "Hedges at the junction clearly blocked the sightlines of the drivers. If the hedges had not been there it would have given them the opportunity to see each other entering the junction."

Mr Hibbert told the inquest at Warrington Crown Court that he was going to write a letter recommending that the 1.9m hedges be cut down.

Halton Council did not assume responsibility for busway maintenance until after this fatal accident.

Last week it announced that it had applied for a £5 million Government grant to, among other things, improve safety on the busway, a move confirmed by council group transport manager Glyn Smith.

Mr Smith said the council had not received a copy of Coroner Hibbert's report, thus it was too early to comment.

But he said: "We will discuss its implications fully when we have access to a copy of it."

Pilot schemes were already underway, he added, and the impact of these schemes would be evaluated in due course.

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