A TINY particle could have been a contributory factor in causing a death crash at Dinmore Hill, an inquest heard on Friday.

Vehicle examination experts believe a blockage in the brake pipe may have contributed to Volvo driver Vincent Williams losing control of his vehicle and swerving across the carriageway into the path of oncoming traffic.

Sixty-six-year-old Audrey Bishop, of Ross Road, Hereford, a front seat passenger in the Nissan Micra of her friend, Mary Lloyd-Davies, was killed in the collision on October 15, 2002.

Stephen Brace, a system engineer from London, was following the Volvo.

"He appeared to lose control of the car. It slid to the left. The driver then appeared to over-correct it and it went to the right. He then over-corrected it again," said Mr Brace.

"I was quite surprised to see the back of the car go. I thought perhaps it was overloaded or the rear tyres were under pressure or perhaps there was diesel on the road."

Mr Brace said that prior to the accident Mr Williams, an antique dealer from Bayswater, London, was driving in a safe manner at the right speed for the weather conditions.

Vehicle examination expert William Walker was not convinced whether the loss in brake pressure in the Volvo was due to the impact or if the brakes were faulty before the accident.

After sending the brake system for forensic examination, Mr Walker said: "There was a blockage in the flexible pipe that could have happened prior to the accident.

"The brake fluid was not contaminated so somewhere in the system was a particle. You would only have three wheel braking and, having found out that the driver was inexperienced, an inexperienced driver may not have picked it up."

In a statement to PC Colin Kerfoot, Mr Williams described the weather as an 'evil day' with appalling downpours of rain and flooding.

PC Kerfoot also revealed that although Mr Williams was a relatively inexperienced driver who had possessed a full licence for 18 months, 'he was quite cautious and certainly not in the mood for driving fast'.

County coroner, David Halpern said there was no way Miss Lloyd-Davies could have avoided the collision.

Referring to the blockage in the brake pipe, he added it would be difficult to pinpoint it as a definite cause.

He said he had to consider a verdict of unlawful killing but he had no evidence Mr Williams was driving in a grossly irresponsible manner prior to the accident.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Halpern said: "Sadly this was just a road traffic accident. Unfortunately this does happen, people for some reason or another - often reasons we can't point to at inquests - lose control of their vehicles."