The widow of a 'truly brilliant' police officer who was killed in a catastrophic accident on the M6 has blasted the force's use of 'death trap' cars.
PC Nicholas Dumphreys - known as Nick - was killed after his BMW flipped on the motorway due to a fault the manufacturer had known about for years. He was responding to an incident at the time, but while racing to the scene a crankshaft bearing in his BMW 330 engine failed.
As oil spilled onto the carriageway, the car swerved and its tyres and engine ignited. PC Dumphreys tried to correct the swerve but 'there was nothing he could do' and his car flipped onto its roof, an inquest into his death heard.
