A 90-year-old man who died after the scooter he was riding hit a kerb near the major roadworks in Commercial Road in Ipswich last year may have been following the old route, an inquest was told.

Ralph Miller, of Chatsworth Crescent, Ipswich, suffered serious injuries in a single-vehicle collision at the junction with Princes Street shortly after 7pm on October 18 last year.

He was taken to Ipswich Hospital but died on the following day. His cause of death was given as multiple injuries, including a head injury.

The roadworks, which started in August and finished in November, replaced the signalised crossing on the slip road from Commercial Road to Princes Street with a raised zebra crossing.

A new puffin crossing was located on Princes Street at the train station side of the Commercial Road junction and a new footway was also installed along the north side of the slip road.

Giving evidence at an inquest into Mr Miller’s death, PC Jeff Cribb, of the serious collision investigation team at Suffolk Constabulary, said the roadworks were “clearly signed” with “clear and visible cones” and street lighting.

But he added that there were a “number of conflicting (road) marks” at the junction, such as road markings “not being realigned”.

He said: “There was a deliberate attempt made to turn the motorcycle left (on to Princes Street). Following the old line of the road is the most plausible reason why the collision occurred.”

He added that Mr Miller, who was described as a “fit and active” man, may not have “fully appreciated the new road layout”.

PC Cribb told the inquest at IP-City Centre in Bath Street, Ipswich on Monday that Mr Miller had been travelling below the speed limit of 30mph.

No drugs or alcohol were found in Mr Miller’s system. Mr McCarthy recorded a verdict of accidental death.

PC Cribb confirmed that Suffolk County Council, the authority responsible for the roadworks, had been contacted regarding the incident.