A GREASBY woman died after losing control of her car and hitting the central barrier of the M53 motorway as she drove home to celebrate her son's birthday.

Wirral coroner's court heard that Yvette Ledsom, a 38-year-old registered childminder from Brookdale Avenue North, was pronounced dead at Arrowe Park Hospital shortly at 8.10pm, on February 25.

Coroner's officer Arthur Flower told the court that earlier Mrs Ledsom had left the Total Fitness gym in Prenton. She drove her black Vauxhall Safira onto the northbound sliproad of the M53 motorway at Woodchurch.

Witnesses recalled later seeing Mrs Ledsom's car move from the motorway's inside lane to the middle lane, before moving to the nearside lane. It then swerved to the right and straightened up. It swerved again and hit and bounced off the central barrier.

Emergency services were called and despite repeated resuscitation attempts, Mrs Ledsom was pronounced dead at Arrowe Park.

A post mortem carried out by Home Office pathologist Dr Martin Gillett found that Mrs Ledsom had died as a result of a head injury.

No traces of alcohol were found in Mrs Ledsom's blood and at the time of the accident she had not been wearing a seatbelt. The front of the car was damaged, the windscreen was smashed and the front tyres deflated.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Wirral coroner Christopher Johnson told the court: "The reasons for Mrs Ledsom's death are not apparent and, tragically, will probably never become apparent.

"I am satisfied that Mrs Ledsom died as a result of an accident."

On the night of her death, Mrs Ledsom was going home to celebrate her son's 16th birthday.

Her devastated husband Terry said the family were still coming to terms with what had happened.