A toddler was killed when he was hit by a vehicle being driven by a farm worker in what a Norfolk coroner has described as 'dreadful tragedy'.

Edward Criddle was 22 months old when he died at a farm in Kenninghall, near Diss, on November 22.

An inquest was opened this afternoon by Norfolk coroner William Armstrong, who said a post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death to be brain damage resulting from a fracture to the skull.

Mr Armstrong said the accident happened on agricultural land in Kenninghall – although not at Wash Farm off Fersfield Road, where the youngster lived with his parents, Edward Criddle and Lucy Wood.

'On November 22, Edward was at a family farm in Kenninghall when at around 4pm he was in collision with a car being driven by a farm worker,' said Mr Armstrong. 'The East Anglian Air Ambulance attended the scene, but despite their best efforts he could not be saved.

'The circumstances of this death are being investigated by the police and, of course, by the Health and Safety Executive, and I wish to express my deepest sympathies to Edward's parents and all those affected by this dreadful tragedy.'

The inquest was adjourned until the completion of the investigation.

Following the accident, police said the boy was struck by a silver Nissan pick-up truck. Officers had been speaking to the driver, who was aged in his 60s, but no arrests were made.