POLICE investigating a hit and run death today urged the driver to come forward for the sake of the victim's devastated family.

Detective Superintendent Mick Gradwell attempted to stir the driver's conscience after Jennifer Metcalfe, of Ruskin Avenue, Oswaldtwistle, told of her family's torment after the inquest into the death of her son Shaun.

Mr Gradwell was echoing the thoughts of Mrs Metcalfe, 51, who urged the driver to come forward following an inquest into her 34-year-old son's death on Tuesday.

Coroner Michael Singleton recorded a verdict of accidental death rather than unlawful killing as there was only one witness to the tragedy on January 18 in Blackburn Road, Oswaldtwistle.

Mr Metcalfe was hit by a car at 3am moments after he had left the Hare and Hounds pub, where he worked every Saturday.

Police carried out forensic tests on Shaun's clothes and stopped more than 60 vehicles in a road block a week after the accident.

But few leads were uncovered except that the car was believed to be red and possibly a pizza delivery vehicle or a taxi. Mr Gradwell said that the driver coming forward was the most likely chance of solving the case after a "exhaustive and protracted" six-month investigation failed to produce any arrests.

He added: "We appeal directly to the driver's conscience to come forward to help give the relatives of Shaun Metcalfe some piece of mind and an opportunity to discover what happened.

"We also need the help of the public and we also appeal for any who knows the identity of the driver to come forward.

"We are still making inquiries but we did pursue a number of these at the time and none led to identifying the driver.

"It has been such a long time and one can only imagine the grief that his family are still suffering."