RELATIVES of a popular community figure who died after being hit by a car while walking home after a day out have warned pedestrians and cyclists to "be seen and be safe".

Steven Norcross, 54, was hit by a car after crossing the A5 in what witnesses said was pitch darkness as he walked home from Gobowen Station to Weston Rhyn in October.

His brother Paul Norcross and sister-in-law Sherry attended an inquest into Mr Norcross' death at Shirehall in Shrewsbury.

"We live in a very rural area, we live away from the bypass and the amount of people who we see walking on the road in the dark, and the amount of young people we on bikes without lights...," Mrs Norcross said.

"The one thing we would like to say to people from this tragedy is, if you're going, be seen and be safe."

John Ellery, coroner for Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, heard that Mr Norcross and a friend, Dean Williams, had been out in Shrewsbury and had got the train back to Gobowen.

Coroner's officer Michael Caesar-Homden read a statement from Mr Williams' wife Rebecca which said that her husband called at around 10.10pm to ask for a lift home.

She initially was reluctant to as she had the children at home, but became concerned for the pair and put the children in the car to pick them up.

Mrs Williams recalled seeing torch light in the middle of the junction as she drove down to pick them up, and knew it would be from Mr Williams' phone.

She drove on and when she approached the give way line, she saw car headlights and a torch headlight.

About 12 metres from the junction she head a loud bang and saw the vehicle stop, the inquest heard.

Mr Ellery added that Mr Norcross had been out in Shrewsbury and his blood alcohol level was 231 milligrammes per decimetre –had he been driving, the legal limit would be 80.

Helen Jones, who drove the car that hit Mr Norcross, was heading back on the A5 to the Wrexham area from Oswestry.

She told of the moment of collision and how she and others tried to help Mr Norcross.

Mrs Jones said she was travelling at around 50mph and that she had never seen anyone trying to cross that piece of road.

Mr Williams said in a statement that he and his friend tried to get a taxi and a lift from his wife, but neither was available.

As they walked Mr Norcross "picked a gap and ran", Mr Williams said, and there was no way that Mrs Jones could have stopped the collision.

Summarising the evidence, the coroner's officer said that Mrs Jones' car had no mechanical defects that would have led to the collision, and there was nothing she could have done to avoid the collision.

Mr Ellery concluded that Mr Norcross died of multiple injuries as a result of a road traffic collision.

There has been an outpouring of sympathy and support in and around Weston Rhyn for Mr Norcross' family

After the hearing, Paul and Sherry Norcross said that Mr Norcross – an avid fan of The New Saints FC – was a "great brother and brother-in-law".

"We would like to thank everyone for their support over the last three months because it's not been easily, and particularly the people of Weston Rhyn because they have been very supportive to Steven' parents, David and Irene."