A daughter of a couple who died following a car crash on their 65th wedding anniversary has admitted she may never know what caused the tragedy.

Accrington great-grandparents Stewart and Norah Graham, both 85, died following the crash in Fence earlier this year after their car veered into an oncoming vehicle in the opposite lane.

A coroner could offer no explanation why their grey Vauxhall Astra entered the opposite carriageway during an inquest on Tuesday.

After the hearing, the pair’s daughter Eileen De-Maine, 65, also of Accrington, said: "It’s so upsetting. Maybe Dad had a blackout in the car. It could have happened given their ages because he was a safe driver.

"Maybe they had both not been well in the car. But they were so happy and well on that morning when I spoke to them before the anniversary lunch in Great Harwood.

"I don’t think we will ever know what happened. It’s upsetting but at least they went together." She said that Stewart had been told of the death of his wife before he passed away eight days after the accident.

The retired couple, who were devoted Accrington Cricket Club followers, were on their way home from a celebration lunch in Great Harwood when they crashed into a red Astra on the other side of the bypass.

Karen Derbyshire, a businesswoman travelling to a meeting in Clitheroe with a colleague, told the inquest how the couple’s grey Vauxhall Astra suddenly veered into her path at around 1.35pm on May 4.

Witness Mrs Derbyshire said: "The (Grahams’) car appeared to swerve and change direction. I realised I might be hit by it so took my foot off the accelerator and tried to mount the kerb.

"In those split seconds it was as if the driver had either slumped to his left side or he was supporting the front seat passenger who had slumped forward."

Miss Joanne Whitehead, who was driving directly behind the Grahams, told the inquest: "The (Graham’s) car started to move into the opposite carriageway and straight towards another car. It was as if the driver had a blackout.

"The other driver had no choice of avoiding it and I had to brake heavily."

Pathologist Dr Salman Walid told the inquest that Mrs Graham died from multiple injuries in hospital two hours after the crash and Mr Graham died from multiple injuries and pneumonia eight days later. Neither had suffered from a stroke or heart attack.

Accident investigator PC David Horsefield told the inquest the Grahams’ car was travelling at around 30mph and was entirely in the opposite lane at the moment of impact. The speed limit was 50 mph.

He said: "Why the car was there (in the opposite carriageway), I do not know. The Astra had a 90 degree change in direction before colliding with the other car."

Recording a narrative verdict, coroner Richard Taylor said: "On May 4 Mr and Mrs Graham went out for a celebration. There didn’t appear to be anything unusual about the driving until very close to the scene of this collision, when for some reason we will never know, it appears the vehicle strayed out of its carriageway and into the vehicle driven by Mrs Derbyshire."

Mr Graham, an ex-aircraft engineer, and Oswaldtwistle-born Mrs Graham, a former Accrington Victoria Hospital worker, lived on Whalley Road in Accrington for more than 20 years after marrying at St Mary’s RC Church in 1946. A joint funeral was held.

The Grahams left a son, daughter, a daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and two great grandchildren.