AN experienced bus driver has told how he thought two elderly cyclists in front of his vehicle appeared to be heading straight on at a country road junction, ahead of a fatal collision.

James Forsyth Cox was giving evidence on the second day of his trial at Durham Crown Court over the crash involving his single-deck bus and the lead cyclist, Walter Heighley.

The court heard Mr Heighley, 81, and friend Henry Richardson were riding electric-powered cycles, travelling nose-to-tail on the B6532 Durham to Sacriston road, shortly after 11am on November 17, 2015.

As Mr Heighley veered right to turn onto Potterhouse Lane, Mr Cox was overtaking in his single-deck Go North-East Diamond service bus, on the 16A Durham to Stanley route.

Despite braking sharply, stopping in four seconds, the bus dragged the cycle along the road, causing Mr Heighley to suffer serious multiple injuries, from which he was died.

In both his police interview, a few weeks after the incident, and while giving evidence, Mr Cox said there was nothing to suggest the cyclists, either by indication or a look over the shoulder, intended to turn right at the junction.

Mr Cox told the court the conditions were good, the road ahead was clear, other than for the cyclists, and no vehicles were seeking to emerge from the junction, or heading in the opposite direction, so he felt it was safe to perform the overtaking manoeuvre.

Under cross-examination by Rupert Doswell, prosecuting, Mr Cox said he was aware the Highway Code advised against overtaking at junctions, particularly with cyclists ahead.

“As a professional driver you can come across many different situations and there are times you have to adapt your driving to the situation in front of you.

“I had two cyclists ahead that I estimated were doing no more than ten miles per hour and, having done all the safety checks, I decided it was safe to overtake them at that point.”

Asked by Judge Christopher Prince: “You judged in that situation that the cyclists were going to go straight on. Does that encapsulate what you were going to say?” He replied: “Yes”.

The court heard Mr Cox had 24 years experience as a bus driver at the time of the accident, has no previous convictions and a clean driving licence.

The 46-six-year-old defendant, of Millfield Court, Blackhill, Consett, denies causing death by careless driving.

The trial continues.