THE death of a man in a van who was picked up by a crane at a Southampton scrapyard was accidental an inquest jury has ruled.

Southampton Coroner's Court heard how Barry Collins, 24, had gone to Huntley & Sons scrapyard in Sholing to look at the engine of a van left for scrap when a tragic misunderstanding led to the vehicle being picked up by a grabber crane.

After a three-day inquest the jury took less than an hour to return a verdict of accidental death.

Mr Collins' family welcomed the verdict and say they hope that further accidents can be avoided with better safety procedures in place.

In a statement issued to the Daily Echo, Mr Collins' sister Sarah Collins said: "On behalf of my mum, Barry's partner Lucy and the kids, and the rest of his brothers and sisters, we would like to express our gratitude to the jury, the police and the Health and Safety Executive, and the other witnesses who came forward, for the thorough manner in which Barry's death has been investigated.

"This was a tragic accident which could have been avoided.

"It is hoped that through this investigation Barry's death might prevent others suffering a similar fate through the raising of standards and implementation of better safety procedures."

The inquest heard how Mr Collins, a popular banger racer from Sholing, and his brother Joey Collins were the scrapyard's most regular customers.

Safety rules Jurors were told that the scrapyard had no formal safety rules before the accident and relied on word-of-mouth instructions for people using the site.

Since the accident, a strict health and safety policy had been introduced which included warning signs, a list of rules and high visibility clothing.

Police told the jury that they had no evidence to suggest death by gross negligence manslaughter. Coroner Keith Wiseman directed the jury to avoid a verdict of unlawful killing and look at options for accidental death or a narrative verdict.

The inquest heard Joey Collins say he had gone to warn crane operator Colin Anteney that his older brother was in the van.

Mr Anteney told jurors he heard Joey ask him to move the van and he did not see Barry Collins or know he was in the yard.

Summing up Mr Wiseman told the jury: "Once he (Mr Anteney) had used the ferocious pincers on his crane sadly there was no other way that this incident would end other than the way it sadly did."

Sarah Collins paid tribute to her brother Barry who has two sons with his partner Lucy.

"Barry is greatly missed by his mum, Lucy his partner, their children, his brothers and sisters and friends.

"We would now like to put this tragedy behind us and move forward with our lives," she said.

The Health and Safety Executive is still investigating the incident.