ACCIDENTAL death was the verdict on six day-trippers who were killed on the M25 last November.

They were among more than 40 passengers travelling back from France, when it's believed the Spring's coach driver, Chris Sloane from Evesham, nodded off at the wheel.

Buckinghamshire coroner, Richard Hulett ruled out alcohol, any medical condition, mech-anical faults or problems with the road which might have affected Mr Sloane's driving.

He did point out however that only two people on the coach were wearing lap seat belts and they survived. He added: "It seems that the practice on this occasion was that the belt bec-ame largely ignored."

He presumed that co-driver Graham Spring was asleep himself at the time of the crash, otherwise he could have noticed that Mr Sloane's driving was becoming erratic.

Accident investigator PC Andrew Bryant said: "Chris Sloane committed a criminal offence by breaching regulations on the number of hours he had been driving that day and for not entering the start of his journey on the tachograph chart until three hours after they left Worcestershire."

He said he either forgot or did it deliberately and added that Mr Sloane had not had the minimum eight hours uninterrupted rest period on the day of the journey. In conclusion he said the most likely cause of the accident was gross inattention or fatigue.

Motorist Barry Rowson, a former qualified coach driver, said: "I was in the second coach doing 70mph and the coach was ahead of me.

"About 150 metres in front the coach slowly drifted from lane one onto the hard shoulder. The coach did not brake nor indicate - just drifted left."

On the first day of the inquest - Wednesday - survivors told of how driver, Chris Sloane was nodding off to sleep at the wheel. Many passengers who lost relatives and friends are still receiving counselling.

Graham Spring, 56, his co-driver Christopher Sloane, 42 and Mr Sloane's wife Karen were killed.

Bernard Coppin 62, of Drakes Broughton, Norma Evans, 54 of Badsey and Jane Wedgbury, 39 of Alcester also died in the crash. A further 40 people were injured.

The inquest into the tragic crash opened on Wednesday at Buckinghamshire County Council offices in Aylesbury and concluded yesterday.