AN Evesham woman may have had an accident which led to her van crashing into a river and disappearing for five years.

Catriona Watson's body was found in her Renault 4 van in January this year at Hampton Ferry in Evesham.

Worcestershire Coroner Victor Round said Miss Watson, who vanished on Christmas Eve 1995, could have crashed her car, but her family will never know the truth.

"There's no damage to the vehicle indicative of a road accident," said Mr Round at the inquest yesterday.

"The vehicle met its end in the River Avon as a matter of accident.

"I can't identify the accident and it would be wrong for me to speculate."

The inquest had originally been held in May this year, but a query about the position of the gearstick led to its adjournment.

Mr Round read a statement from vehicle examiner Michael Saunders.

"At the time of my examination I found the gear lever to be in the neutral position," he said.

"During the recovery of the van, persons unknown may have moved the gearstick.

"I'm unable to say whether it was in gear when it went into the water.

"It's a push-pull gearstick and there's a ring of marking that shows it had been moved.

"It's not possible to say which gear it had been in."

Mr Round said it was probable Miss Watson, who was 29 at the time of her disappearance, had died soon after leaving her friends on Christmas Eve.

"She had clearly been dead for some time when she was found," he said.

"It's not possible to take this matter any further."

He recorded an open verdict.

Catriona, known to her friends as Kate, left her home in Chapel Row, Overbury, near Evesham, on December 23 to go out with friends.

She left them in the early hours of Christmas Eve, but was not found until Monday, January 29 this year.