A "dangerous" pothole on a busy Weybridge road that caused the death of a cyclist was in a "high risk location and should have been seen urgently", an inquest heard.

Ralph Brazier, 52, of Basing Close in Thames Ditton, died at the junction of Weybridge Road and Hamm Court on March 1.

Mr Brazier, whose feet were strapped to his bicycle, landed “head first” in the road after somersaulting over the handlebars when he struck the sunken drain cover at about 7.50pm.

Paramedics worked for more than 90 minutes to resuscitate him at the roadside but died from trauma to his spine.

James Taylor, a chartered engineer with more than 50 years' experience, was hired by Surrey County Council contractors Kier to produce a report following an investigation of the pothole on March 11.

Addressing the inquest at Woking Coroner's Court on Wednesday, Mr Taylor criticised the decision by a fellow worker to spray paint markings around the pothole instead of blocking it off with a cone or a barrier.

He said: "Even putting a modest size traffic cone on top would have safeguarded that position for road users for traffic to keep clear of.

"He said he would not have used a cone or barrier because the road was relatively narrow and would cause obstructions to the road. I disagree with that.

"I do not accept that painting yellow lines is any degree of warning to road users whatsoever. It's just a follow up to construction workers."

Surrey Comet:

Paul Wilson, an area safety defect manager for the county council, said the pothole had been classed with a 'P2' priority - meaning it should be repaired within five days.

He added that the council receives between 70 and 100 'P2' notifications for potholes each day, in comparison to 'P1' notifications - the most serious - of which the council receive one notification a day.

But Mr Taylor disagreed, saying that it should have been noted as a 'P2+' - a classification used in "exceptional circumstances" to prioritise potholes that fall below the 'P1' category but are more urgent than a 'P2'.

He said: "I think it was a very high risk location and should have been seen urgently. If it wasn't a 'P1' it should have been a 'P2+'.

But during questioning by Julian Waters, representing the council, he admitted that the pothole fell short of the 75mm depth requirement for a 'P2+' classification, being measured at 45mm.

Mr Brazier, described as a “keen cyclist” by his wife Karen, had been riding with members of the Twickenham Cycling Club on their usual 25-mile Tuesday evening circuit when he hit the pothole.

Concerned neighbours had initially reported the "dangerous" and "appalling" pothole to Surrey County Council on January 25.

After a temporary repair on January 28 by Kier, which involved the drain being completely tarmacked, a second and permanent repair was carried out on February 12.

But residents and drivers saw that the repair had started to fall apart just days later.

Philip Goldring, who lives in Hamm Court, told the inquest on Monday, February 20, that the works had appeared "shoddy" and "cheap".

David Ellis, who led the investigation on behalf of Surrey County Council after Mr Brazier's death, said that the drain had been fitted incorrectly, and was set at 90 degrees in the wrong direction.

His report, summarised by Mr Sutton Mattocks, found numerous blockages in the drainage system, causing floating water below the grill. This in turn, he suggested, likely led to the weakening of the tarmac.

The inquest continues.