River death driver 'lost control'

The couple's Nissan Micra plunged 50ft into the River Swale

An elderly driver who died with his wife when their car fell 50ft (15m) into a river may have suffered heart problems and lost control.

The Nissan Micra owned by Harold Elkins, 88, was found submerged in the River Swale, near Marske Bridge, in the Yorkshire Dales in October.

The body of his wife Sheila, 68, of Whitcliff Grange, Richmond, was recovered from the car.

An inquest held on Tuesday recorded verdicts of accidental death.

The hearing at Richmond Town Hall heard Mr Elkins had a history of heart disease, but a post-mortem examination concluded he did not suffer a heart attack.

Search and rescue

However, coroner Geoff Fell, said he could not rule out the possibility Mr Elkins, a retired Ministry of Defence official, had suffered "some cardiac event which caused him to lose control".

Mrs Elkins, a warden at a sheltered housing complex, was being driven to work when the accident happened.

When she failed to turn up for work colleagues contacted her family, who started searching for her.

One of the family members discovered the submerged car and called the emergency services, the inquest heard.

Mr Elkins' body was thrown clear of the vehicle and was discover two miles downstream by search and rescue teams the day after the crash.

The couple had no children.