A father is to take legal action against a farmer over the death of his son.

An inquest on Teesside heard that tractor driver Stephen Wood pulled on to the busy A174 Whitby road from a gap in an overgrown field hedge.

His green-painted tractor had a 12ft-long bonnet, a film of cow manure on a cab window and was pulling a muck spreader at the crash scene, near Easington Hall Farm.

In swerving to avoid hitting the tractor, apprentice electrician Carl Barwick's motorcycle went into the trailer, which ran over and killed the 18-year-old, from Staithes, near Whitby, North Yorkshire.

The inquest heard that the teenager's 400cc Honda should have had a device fitted restricting it's 62 brake horse power to 33. However, this had been removed - and the bike would have been capable of reaching 90mph.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Cleveland Coroner Michael Sheffield said he would write to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council asking it to consider cutting back the hedge and trees in the area of the field exit, installing warning signs and reducing the 60mph limit in operation on the stretch of road.

Carl's father, Dave, said after the inquest: "If the trees and hedges had been pruned, he would have seen the tractor and the tractor would have seen him and it probably would not have happened."

He added: "I am seeking civil action and getting the police to look at the evidence further."

A council spokesman said last night: "This clearly was an awful accident and we send our sympathies to the family.

"We will await the coroner's letter and investigate the issue to see what needs to be done.''