A CORONER has called for extra safety measures to be introduced along a major link road after the deaths of a Prestwich religious leader and his wife and daughter.

Liyakat Sidat, 47, was driving back from Leicester when he decided to overtake two cars on the A34 Alderley Edge Bypass in Cheshire, an inquest heard earlier this year.

But his Toyota Yaris was involved in a head-on collision with a minibus on a bend, resulting in Mr Sidat, his wife Salma, 41, and his 14-year-old daughter Hajra losing their lives.

Two others in the car, a nine-year-old girl and a 19-year-old girl, also suffered serious injuries in the crash, which happened in the early hours of a Sunday morning.

Several casualties travelling in the minibus also received hospital treatment for their injuries.

The family had been travelling to their Old Trafford home from Leicester at the time.

Jean Harkin, assistant coroner for Cheshire, has now filed a prevention of death report, in a bid to persuade highways bosses to review road safety measures.

In the coroner’s view, the bypass presents “a danger to life”, with the section in question having no continuous white line to prevent overtaking.

She added: “It is dangerous to overtake on that stretch of road.

“Witness evidence referred to how dark it was and lives are at risk if overtaking is allowed to continue there.”

Mrs Harkin has also noted that other coroners have previously issued similar reports without any remedial action being taken by Cheshire East council, the highway authority.

The conclusion in each of the three cases was that they died as the result of a road traffic collision.

Tributes were paid to Mr Sidat, who was the principal of the madressa at the Masjid Bilal, in Bury Old Road, Prestwich, from across the north-west.

Worshippers and his pupils staged a memorial service within 48 hours of his death.

In November 2017 an 85-year-old man, and his 82-year-old female passenger, from Staffordshire, who were involved in a head-on collision on the same bypass in a Ford Fusion.

And in September 2013, an 11-year-old boy, Flynn Morrissey was killed when a Porsche car crossed into the path of a Ford Focus being driven by his mother, on a bend on the A34.

Cheshire East council was unavailable for comment as the Bury Times went to press.