A couple whose only son died in a road crash are complaining to the Lord Chancellor over their year-long wait for an inquest.

Anthony and Marion Levers, whose son Russell, 19, was killed on the A166 near York on February 12 last year, waited ten months for word of progress before their local councillor and neighbour Viv Kind stepped in and asked York MP Hugh Bayley to intervene on their behalf.

Mr Bayley received a letter from the coroner, Donald Coverdale, blaming delays on a period of illness in January.

But Mr and Mrs Levers, of Sefton Avenue, York, say they do not understand why the inquest could not have been dealt with earlier.

What upset them most was a phone call from Mr Coverdale on the anniversary of Russell's death to tell them the inquest date had been set.

Mr Coverdale apologised for any perceived insensitivity on his part. He said: "There's never a good day to discuss with a family the business of a coroner's inquest. The anniversary of a death is clearly a particularly bad day, but there's never a good day."

Mr Levers said: "We had taken the day off work because we knew it wasn't going to be easy. We had been to the cemetery about four or five times. We were coping pretty well and trying to get through the day and he just knocked us back underground really."

Mrs Levers said: "I'm sorry that he was ill but it doesn't count for all the time before that... when nothing happened."

Russell, a former Huntington School pupil, was an apprentice panel beater at Leedhams, York. He loved his job and, on the day he died, heard he had passed an exam towards completing his apprenticeship. He was a popular person and there were 200 mourners at his funeral.

Mrs Levers said: "It's been horrendous, it's been never-ending.

"We've had to go through unnecessary waiting and we've had to go through unnecessary grief."

The York Coroner's Charter says the coroner aims to hold inquests at the earliest possible date and most in York are within six months of the death.

It also says relatives will be informed regularly if there is a delay.

Mr Levers said: "We will complain to the Lord Chancellor. At least we'll get something off our chests and hopefully it will stir things up."

In response to the criticisms, Mr Coverdale said: "I always try to adopt the most sympathetic of approaches. The anniversary of a death is clearly a particularly bad day, but there's never a good day. I was more anxious to see the matter brought to a conclusion. I was under the impression Mr Levers would appreciate a call from me. If he found that insensitive I am very sorry."

Mr Coverdale said he did not think it would be right to discuss anything else in the absence of the family.

Mr and Mrs Levers also want City of York Council to bring forward work to straighten the bend where Russell died.

The inquest heard the road was in a poor condition and wet on the day of the crash. Neither Russell or the other crash driver were said to carry any blame.

City of York Council is now resurfacing a 2km stretch of the road, including the accident site.

Updated: 12:10 Friday, March 02, 2001