Robert Page, 31, of Hopton Road, Barningham, drifted out into the middle of the A1307, in Great Abington, and hit a traffic island, causing his large sweeper lorry to lift into the air and crash down on its side.

He suffered a severe head injury in the collision, which caused him to die instantly.

Speaking about the fact Mr Page was driving a left-hand driving vehicle, collision investigator Pc Francis Crawford said: "The driver's inexperience of that type of vehicle may be a contributing factor."

The inquest, held at Shire Hall, Cambridge, last Wednesday, heard Mr Page, who worked for Trek Highway Services in Thetford for about a month, left his company's depot at around 7.30pm on April 29, and drove along the A14 and A11, before turning on to the A1307 towards Haverhill at Fourwentways junction.

This was the first built-up area he had encountered with his vehicle, that he was taking to a training centre to receive training on roadsweeping.

Stewart Halsey, managing director of Trek, said: "He had shown himself to be a competent and careful driver."

Witness Paul Oakley, of Sutton, near Ely, who was travelling behind Mr Page, said the lorry was positioned away from the kerb and drifted further out so it was straddling the middle white line.

He said it appeared Mr Page tried to correct himself but his lorry hit the island, flipped on to its side and slid along the road, clipping another vehicle in the process.

The collision happened shortly after 8.30am.

There was another collision at the same spot, involving a lorry, just a week before and Pc Crawford revealed there had been a number of other collisions involving the traffic island in the five years since it had been put in place to protect people crossing the road.

Coroner David Morris concluded: "Robert Julian Page died when the road sweeper which he was driving came into contact with a central traffic island, causing it to tip over and resulting in fatal injury to him."

He recorded this as the cause of death.