Smart motorway system 'wasn't working as it should be' at time of fatal crash, court told

A smart motorway system "wasn't working as it should be" at the time of a fatal collision on the M4, a court has heard.

The system had not been functioning for five days when 45-year-old Barry O'Sullivan's grey Ford Transit Connect collided with the back of a Nissan Micra, which had come to a halt in the outside lane of the motorway. The collision took place on the M4 westbound between junctions 11 and 12 in Berkshire on 7 March 2022, causing both vehicles to propel forward, with the Nissan bursting into flames.

Pulvinder Dhillon, who was a passenger in the Nissan which was being driven by her daughter, suffered fatal injuries. O'Sullivan, of Wixams, near Bedford, has pleaded not guilty to one count of causing death by careless driving.

At Reading Crown Court on Monday, jurors also heard National Highways put "measures in place" after the smart motorway system failed to warn drivers of the broken-down vehicle. Evidence was given by David Edmond, a traffic management officer with Thames Valley Police, who told the court his role is to look at the "circumstances" of the collision.

Mr Edmond said National Highways has been "quite clear that the system wasn't working as it should be" at the time of the collision. He was asked by Ian Bridge, who is representing O'Sullivan, about the defect and whether anyone had looked into why it went unnoticed for several days.

In response, Mr Edmond said: "I can tell you that National Highways have put measures in place to ensure that that doesn't happen again. "I can tell you that I received assurances that the fault or problem is resolved and sufficient balances and checks were put in place to ensure that that didn't happen again." Mr Edmond said this is based on information given to him by National Highways.

Read more from Sky News:More than 100 UK flood warnings as heavy rain forecastTear gas and pepper spray used on protesters in Australia Jurors were previously told that on the day of the collision, the smart motorway was not functioning, and "wasn't showing messages about any obstructions in the road ahead". O'Sullivan told police in an interview after the crash that there was "no indication of anything untoward" on any of the gantries on that stretch of the smart motorway.

He said "there was definitely no warnings" of the stranded vehicle. Jurors have previously heard that O'Sullivan was allegedly driving "at speed" in the outside lane before the crash.

The trial continues..