A binman died after being was dragged beneath a “defective” truck while working at a Watford leisure park.

Peter Coleman, 54, from Dunstable, was collecting bins at Woodside Leisure Park early in the morning on October 11, 2014.

He was working on his own when the bin lorry began to move of its own accord, and as Mr Coleman tried to bring it to a halt, he got trapped beneath it.

He was still alive and conscious when paramedics pulled him out from under the vehicle but suffered a cardiac arrest at the scene and died at Watford General Hospital later the same day.

A post mortem examination found Mr Coleman had sustained pelvic trauma and bleeding on the brain in the accident.

A jury inquest at Hertfordshire Coroners’ Court in Hatfield heard how the truck had a brake defect which made it unroadworthy.

The jury was asked to consider whether the state of the vehicle contributed to Mr Coleman’s death.

A verdict was due on Thursday afternoon.