A CAR valet who was killed in a road accident may have lost control at the wheel because of a flat tyre, an inquest was told. Mark Le Masonry, 26, of Foxley Road, Queenborough, Sheppey, was driving home from work last November when his car spun across the A249 and ploughed into a brick wall.

The inquest heard that the flat tyre was the only factor police had found that could have contributed to the tragedy.

PC Jim Walker said: "There were no contributory conditions, no evidence of excessive speed and he was not under the influence of alcohol. There were no mechanical defects to the vehicle, but the rear near-side tyre had been used in an under-inflated condition.

"In the circumstances, that might be considered an aggravating factor to the driver's subsequent loss of control."

PC Walker said no one had seen the accident, so it was impossible to know for sure what had happened.

But a mechanic friend of Mr Le Masonry told police afterwards that he had noticed a tyre on the rear near side of the Peugeot was going flat. And a forensic scientist who had investigated the accident had found the tyre to be "grossly under-inflated."

Verdict: accidental death.