The driver of a car involved in a collision which killed an 18-year-old woman yesterday said he panicked as he lost control of the vehicle.

An inquest heard that Christopher Dyer, 19, was driving a Citroen Saxo on the A650 Drighlington bypass when it hit a lamppost near the Gildersome roundabout.

The passenger in the car, Adele Barnes, was killed instantly as a result of the crash.

On Thursday Dyer will face a Court charged with careless driving relating to the incident which happened in the early hours of August 29 last year.

Dyer, who is to appear at Leeds Magistrates Court, was told by West Yorkshire coroner David Hinchcliffe that he did not have to answer questions which he thought might prejudice a trial.

Mr Hinchcliffe recorded a verdict of accidental death, telling Dyer that his speed had not been suitable in wet conditions.

When asked at the hearing about the collision, Dyer said: "As I steered into the bend I felt the back end of the car go.

"I panicked and tried to control it but couldn't."

Dyer, who received minor injuries, said the car then started to spin and slipped down a grass verge.

Anesh Pema, a barrister representing Miss Barnes' family, asked Dyer whether he had any previous driving convictions.

Dyer said: "I got three points for speeding on the motorway."

Mr Pema also asked Dyer if it was true that he had smoked cannabis on the night of the accident and that he had been charged previously for possession of the drug.

Dyer declined to answer.

In recording the verdict of accidental death at Leeds Coroners' Court, Mr Hinch-cliffe said: "One of the main issues was that it was an inexperienced driver with less than four months' experience.

"The vehicle was in good mechanical condition with no defects.

"There were no adverse weather conditions or problems with visibility."

However, Mr Hinchcliffe said it had previously been raining and that might have created some greasy patches on the road.

"There is some dispute on what the national speed limit is on that road and whether it is 60 or 70 miles per hour," he said.

"It is unlikely that the vehicle would have been driven in excess of that speed but the speed was not suitable for the weather conditions given that there had been rain."

Michael Barnes, 51, and his wife Lynne, 50, were away on holiday in Spain when the news of their daughter's death was broken to them.

After the hearing, Mr Barnes, who lives in Moorside Avenue, East Bierley, Bradford, said: "The number of people there today proves how popular our daughter was.

"We would like to thank all our friends and family for their continued support."