NAILS that became lodged into a car tyre caused the crash that killed a young RAF serviceman, an inquest heard.

Neil Griffiths, 30, was driving from his home in Swansea to the base at Lyneham, where he was stationed, when his car veered across the road and smashed into an articulated lorry.

Mr Griffiths died at the scene from head injuries after the crash near Sutton Benger in July.

Collision investigators found three nails jammed in one of Mr Griffiths' car tyres.

An hour and a half after the crash the pressure had deflated to more than four times lower than the recommended level.

At an inquest held at Devizes magistrates' court on Friday, Wiltshire coroner David Masters recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Speaking after the inquest, Mr Griffiths' mum Lynda said: "It has been eight months and we are glad it's over. It was a relief to know that it wasn't his fault.

"He was fun-loving and outgoing, just a lovely person.

"Everybody loved him and that was shown at his funeral.

"He wouldn't have driven all that way with a nail in his tyre. He would have noticed and he went out in the car the day before and it was fine."

The inquest heard Mr Griffiths was driving along the B4069 near Sutton Benger at around 6.45am on Thursday July 28 last year.

Witnesses said Mr Griffiths' blue Renault Clio veered onto the wrong side of the road and smashed into a Volvo articulated lorry driven by Derek Brown, of South Bank, Whitestone, Herefordshire.

Ian Soulsby, a retired police officer, examined Mr Griffiths' car after the accident.

He said air was still leaking from the rear tyre where the nails were jammed in an hour and a half after the collision.

The pressure was measured at six psi - the manufacturers' recommendation is 29.

Mr Soulsby also said there was a "slap mark" on the speedometer after the crash where the needle hit the front of the speedometer that indicated the car was travelling at 48mph.

Pc Stephen Cox, a collision investigator, said this was the maximum speed at which the bend could have been safely negotiated.

He said this would be reduced if the tyre pressures were below the recommended level.

Accident investigators said there were no problems with the condition of the lorry.

Several witnesses, including Mr Brown, stopped to try and help but Mr Griffiths died at the scene.

A statement from Mr Brown, read out by coroner David Masters, said: "I was a few feet into the bend when there was this flash in front of me.

"I recall two headlights right in front. I don't know where they came from. Within a second of seeing the headlights, there was a loud bang. I didn't see the car again until I looked in the mirrors to see what hit me. The whole incident lasted just a few seconds."