SAFETY measures at a racetrack where a teenage motorcyclist fell to his death were “inadequate”, an inquest jury has ruled.

Matthew Entwistle, 16, died of multiple injuries after being flung from his 125cc bike and falling around 50 feet down a ravine at Whitworth’s Cowm Quarry, which is owned by Cowm Leisure and features several off-road biking tracks.

An inquest was held at Burnley Crown Court in front of a jury because the accident occurred at a public venue and involved health and safety matters.

After hearing more than two days of evidence, the jury returned a narrative verdict which criticised Cowm Leisure for its ‘lack of policies, procedures and management’ at the site.

The verdict was welcomed by Matthew’s family, whose dad, Adrian, said that they were pleased that the truth about the circumstances leading to their son’s death in August 2006 had come out.

The foreman of the jury said: “The circumstances of Matthew’s death illustrates the lack of policies, procedures and management of the site.

“No entry procedures, no instructions, inadequate signage, no assessment of rider-age or competency has been adhered to. Course routes were inadequately signed and in some disrepair, along with a lack of major hazard signs.”

The inquest had heard that that Matthew, of Rochdale Road, Brittania, had ridden the unique Enduro track, which recently changed direction from anti-clockwise to clockwise.

Signage at the quarry was said to have been inadequate and there had not been sufficient risk assessments carried out, the inquest heard.

The inquest was also told how inexperienced marshall Paul Calverley was left in control of the teenagers even though it was his first day working at the quarry The jury’s verdict added: “There was a clear lack of appropriately trained and instructed marshalls for the size of the site and the number of riders at any one time.

“Evidence given showed a distinct lack of a relevant health and safety procedure in place, along with little or no risk assessment for the courses and site in general. In conclusion the lack of the aforementioned contributed to this tragic accident and subsequently Matthew’s death.”

Mr Entwistle was pleased with the outcome and warned other parents to be cautious when allowing their children to ride motorcycles.

He said: “We are very satisfied that the jury got to the heart of the reasons why our son was killed that day. All we ever wanted was to get to the truth of what happened at Cowm Quarry that evening.There is nothing we can add to their verdict.

“If we had one piece of advice for families who have children interested in motorcycles it would be to join an organised club where the chances of such a tragedy are reduced as far as possible.

Mr Entwistle added: “We would like to thank the coroner Richard Taylor and his team for the sensitive and fair way in which the inquest was conducted.

“We would also like to thank our legal team and the family liaison team from Lancashire Constabulary for their support throughout this terrible time.”

Directors of Cowm Leisure John Whittle and Darren Coy declined to comment on the verdict.