GRIEVING relatives say they have been left to suffer long delays in dealing with the inquests of their loved ones.

Some families have been waiting for seven or eight months to resolve their relatives' deaths.

Dorothy Wheatley's son Matthew, 27, died after being trapped under the front wheel of a lorry.

She and her husband Lawrence, of Chaloners Road, Dringhouses, have been waiting eight months for an inquest date and friends phone every week to inquire.

Dorothy said: "It's upsetting. We haven't even got a death certificate.

"We thought John's death would be open and shut.

"There's not a day goes by we don't feel upset about it because you don't know what happened."

Derek Rawnsley, of Glenridding, York, has been waiting for seven months for the inquest into the death of his son Nicholas, 31.

Nicholas and his fiance Joanne Hunton died in an horrific car crash near Elvington last year.

He said: "I do think it's gone on a little bit long as my son's accident was at the beginning of November.

"We've spoken to the coroner himself.

"All the papers are at the coroner's office. It's just a matter of when they get through it.

"We can't move on until the inquest has been heard - it's like a bad dream."

Donald Coverdale, the part-time coroner for the York area, says he aims to process inquests within six months.

Meanwhile North Yorkshire coroners Michael Oakley and Jeremy Cave are in the process of drawing up their own coroners' charter and Mr Oakley said he aims to hear inquests between two and five months after a death takes place.

He said: "Some take less, some take more."

Mr Coverdale said he should have a date for the Matthew Wheatley inquest within ten days.

"I will be sitting with a jury and this takes a long time to arrange," he said.

"I tend to put two or three together and sit for three to four days and this will be done in three or four weeks time."

Regarding the inquest of Nicholas Rawnsley, Mr Coverdale said: "I have to wait until police inquiries are complete and the papers are sent through to me.

"That's been done and it's ready. Within the next seven to ten days a date will be allocated.

"I couldn't tell you when I got the file and papers from police but it takes months rather than weeks. I do like to pride myself on holding inquests reasonably quickly."