THE death of moped rider Alex Snook on the A350 near Warminster earlier this year was as a result of a road traffic collision a coroner has ruled.

The 20-year-old was travelling along Church Street in Longbridge Deverill to deliver shopping to his mother in Mere on March 21, when he came off his 125cc Yamaha moped and collided with a Ford Transit van travelling in the opposite direction.

He suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene at 4.29pm.

Giving evidence at the hearing in Salisbury today, Timothy Davis, who was driving the van which collided with Mr Snook, said: “The weather was good and the road conditions were dry.

“The first thing I saw as I went up the hill was Mr Snook driving behind a car and he was close to it but I didn’t see any contact and I don’t think he was trying to overtake.

“Mr Snook moved to the right though to the centre of the highway and the motorcycle seemed to slip out from underneath him and across into me.

“I swerved to the left which was the natural reaction I suppose but there was nowhere for me to go.”

When asked to clarify how close Mr Snook’s moped was to the car in front, Mr Davis replied: “I’d say he [Alex] was close.”

A police appeal was launched after Mr Snook’s death to find the vehicle involved in the incident, which was believed to be a blue Honda Accord Estate.

Also giving evidence at the hearing, PC Andrew Grigg from Avon and Somerset’s Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Looking at CCTV from services at the Longbridge Deverill crossroads we found that this vehicle had gone past there before the accident and it was then seen travelling back.

“Although there was blue paint on the moped tests revealed to 95 per cent that it was Vauxhall paint.

“There was no foreign debris amongst the wreckage and nothing to suggest another vehicle had been damaged.”

PC Grigg also clarified that although there were potholes along the A350, none were present at the scene of the accident.

It was also determined that both Mr Snook’s moped and Mr Davis’ Ford Transit van were in good condition and well maintained and were not a factor in the collision.

The court also heard from another eye-witness, Andrew Cooper, who claimed he could hear the sound of horns as both the blue Honda and Mr Snook’s moped went past him in the opposite direction moments before the crash.

Returning his verdict, coroner David Ridley said: “I need to record that there is no physical evidence to suggest there was contact between Alex’s scooter and this unknown Honda and it’s unclear whether the Honda did anything to contribute to the incident.

“I am concerned of the close proximity Alex’s moped was to the rear of the Honda and on the balance of probability it was a contributing factor to the crash.

“Based on eye-witness accounts, something was going on between Alex and the car but it is unclear what.”

After the hearing Mr Snook’s aunty, Caryn Runciman, said: “As a family we’re just upset that we haven’t got a conclusion we wanted in relation to finding the driver.”