North Northumberland coroner Tony Brown is urging the Highways Agency to upgrade the A1 between Morpeth and Berwick after presiding over two separate inquests into the deaths of Alan Gair, 37, and Ian Thompson, 52.

Mr Gair, of George Street, Amble, was travelling north at Mousen Bends, near Belford, when his Vauxhall Vectra was hit by a lorry which was overtaking a slow-moving crane on October 3, last year.

Then just four months later, at around 7am on February 19, the Nissan Cabstar being driven by Mr Thompson, of Merton Cottages, Embleton, was hit by a Volkswagen van travelling north in the southbound carriageway. The van driver also died in the crash.

At Mr Thompson's inquest yesterday, Mr Brown said: "This is the second occasion recently when I have presided over an inquest involving a local person driving on the A1 trunk road, at normal speed, in the correct driving position and his life has been abruptly ended in a horrific collision.

"The facts leading to these tragic deaths, and similar ones before them, are that another driver is travelling a long distance from outside of the area and is less familiar with the low standards of roads north of Morpeth.

"From London to Newcastle they have been used to motorway or dual carriageway and from Berwick to Edinburgh the roads are mostly dualled.

"But for long sections between Morpeth and Berwick the road alternates between dual and single carriageway.

"Inevitably another driver then behaves as if he is still driving on one of the dualled sections of the road. The road is clearly the weakest link and it is a shameful situation. The alarming aspect is that as north Northumberland has a lower population than other areas, the A1 is not perceived as a priority for upgrading to dual carriageway."

He added that the population is likely to remain low and if nothing is done to improve the road there are bound to be more 'preventable deaths'.

At Mr Gair's inquest last Thursday he said: "I sincerely hope that something substantial will be done to upgrade the A1 trunk road. There needs to be urgent action before there are more fatalities on this road."

He added: "Alan Gair was met with a double misfortune. He was faced by a vehicle being driven dangerously on the wrong side of the road with no possible time for him to react."

In both cases, Mr Brown will be asking the Highways Agency to consider taking steps to "minimise or prevent similar deaths".

Mr Thompson's daughter Emma Blackburn said after his inquest: "On behalf of my family I would like to say this was not our dad's fault. The witnesses have confirmed that my dad had no chance to avoid this collision because the other driver pulled out straight in front of his path. If it had been a dual carriageway this would have been avoided, it wouldn't have happened full stop."

Mr Thompson, a groundsman, was married for 32 years to Helen Thompson.