Ayan Sediqi

FAO: HM Area Coroner for Greater 
Lincolnshire – Jayne Wilkes 
HM Coroner Service 
Myle Cross Centre 
92 Macaulay Drive 
Lincoln 
LN2 2EL 

 Legal Services Lincolnshire 
 County Offices 
 Newland 
 Lincoln 
 LN1 1YS 

Date: 

06/03/2026 

Dear Ms Wilkes 

RE: LCC Response to the Regulation 28 Report arising from the Inquest into the 
Death of Ayan Sediqi 

We write on behalf of Lincolnshire County Council (‘LCC’) in response to the Regulation 
28 Report issued by the Area Coroner for Greater Lincolnshire on the 9 January 2026 
following the inquest into the death of Ayan Sediqi, which concluded on the 19 December 
2025.  

As  set  out  within  the  report,  the  accident  occurred  on  the  A1  (southbound)  on  the  2 
January  2025.  At  the  location  of  the  accident  there  was  a  significant  volume  of  water 
flowing across both lanes of the southbound carriageway, some of which had turned to 
ice due to the freezing temperatures. The accident occurred after the vehicle, in which 
Ayan Sediqi was a passenger, encountered the ice causing the vehicle to slide across 
the carriageway into the layby and collide with a tree. The water was identified as coming 
from  a  drainage  pipe  running  adjacent  to  the  A1  southbound  carriageway,  which  was 
blocked by the ingress of tree roots. Following the collision there was a media appeal by 
Lincolnshire Police, which evidenced that many members of the public had witnessed the 
water on the carriageway; however, enquiries revealed that no reports were received by 
any of the authorities involved.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The report raises the Coroner’s concern in relation to the lack of public awareness as to 
who,  where  and  how  motorists  should  report  circumstances  which  present  a  risk  of 
immediate danger to road users.  

Responsibility  for  the  maintenance  and  repairs  of  the  roads  and/or  drainage  in 
Lincolnshire is shared between LCC and the National Highways Agency and is dependent 
on the particular road and location. The maintenance and repair of drains on the A1 at 
the accident location is the responsibility of the National Highways Agency and a full repair 
was conducted once they had knowledge of the issue in relation to the blocked drain. 

As set out within the Highway Code the first point of contact, where there is an immediate 
risk of danger to road users, is the emergency services on 999.  

As set out during the Coroner’s investigation, LCC has a system in place which allows for 
defects to be reported to relevant authorities, which would enable any identified defect to 
be picked up and repaired in line with LCC’s Highway Asset Management Plan(‘HIAMP’). 
The National Highways Agency also has a similar system in place. Reports to LCC can 
be made in the following ways:  

Customer Service Centre (‘CSC’) 

LCC  has  a  Customer  Service  Centre  (‘CSC’).  This  is  a  centrally located telephone 
answering service for the whole County Council.  If a call is received regarding a potential 
highway  defect,  the  CSC  advisor  logs  and  records  the  call  as  the  caller describes  the 
issue.  On  conclusion  of  the  call  the  CSC  advisor  provides  the  caller  with  a  reference 
number to enable any follow-up to be made. The call is automatically dated and timed on 
the computerised system known as CRM. The CRM automatically creates an "enquiry" 
in  the  Confirm  highways  asset  management  system.  These  enquiries  are  available  to 
Officers  within  minutes,  either  visible  on  dashboards  on  the web  based Confirm 
OnDemand or on their tablet devices whilst they are in the field through Confirm Connect. 
Their  list  of  public  reports  updates  wirelessly  throughout  the  day  on  these  tablets,  is 
displayed in list or map views and can be updated on-site or repair jobs issued.  

FixMyStreet (‘FMS’) 

LCC’s website  allows  fault  reports  to  be submitted electronically  through  FixMyStreet 
(‘FMS’). FMS is a stand-alone platform, which LCC has integrated into its own reporting 
system. Fault reports can also be submitted through the national FMS website. When a 
report  is  generated, this  automatically  creates  an  enquiry  within  the  Confirm  asset 
management system. In the same way as with enquiries logged by the CSC, these fault 
reports display as enquiries either on dashboards in the host system or on list and map 
views on tablet devices in the field through Confirm Connect. Fault reports on FMS are 
therefore available to officers within a few minutes of being logged by the public, subject 
to internet connections and 4G coverage. Where a report is received and it is at a location 

 
 
 
 that is the responsibility of the National Highways Agency, FMS will ensure that the report 
is directed to them to be actioned.  

Service Requests 

Any correspondence that amounts to a ‘service request’ will be logged into the CRM by 
the Divisional Support Staff. These will then be forwarded to the relevant officer for action 
in the same way as the telephone calls to the CSC.  A ‘service request’ includes, but is 
not limited to, a request for repair of a highway defect and notification of a claim or incident 
which is alleged to have been caused by a defect in the highway.  

It  is  clear that  there  is  an awareness  of  LCC’s  reporting  system, as  LCC  receive  daily 
reports, which are actioned and dealt with in line with the HIAMP. Due to the size of the 
Lincolnshire Road Network, along with LCC’s own inspection and maintenance regime, 
LCC  rely  on  the  reports  made  by  members of  the  public  to  assist  in  ensuring  that  the 
roads remain safe for all road users. There has been no suggestion that reporting systems 
are inadequate; however, the  Coroner’s concerns arise in relation to the lack of public 
awareness of the reporting systems in place and what they should do in an emergency 
situation.  

As  stated  above,  LCC  rely  on  the  reporting  mechanisms  they  have  in  place  and  the 
following improvements are currently being considered/implemented: 

•  Amendments  to  the  wording  on  the  LCC  FixMyStreet  System  web  page  to  better 

reflect the responsibilities under the different types of reportable defects.  

•  Liaison  with  LCC’s  Communications  Team  for  a  push  on  the  available  reporting 
methods,  including  explaining  the  different  organisations  responsible  for  the  road 
network within Lincolnshire and what to do in an emergency situation.   

•  The LCC Communications Strategy is currently under review and is looking at aspects 

such as:  

Refined Template Responses 

As an experienced adopter of FMS, LCC’s approach and template responses have often 
been  recognised  by  mySociety  as  examples  of  best  practice.  To  maintain  this  high 
standard, the existing templates are being reviewed to ensure they are clear, consistent 
and easy to understand. The aim is to give customers the right information, at the right 
time, including explaining why an outcome has been reached. The service acknowledges 
that  not  all  templates  suit  every  scenario  and  will  use  feedback  from  councillors  and 
customers to make improvements. 

This  is  a  significant  piece  of  work  due  to  the  Council’s  highly  detailed  configuration  of 
FMS. Currently, 44 bespoke templates are assigned across 144 different categories and 

 
 
 
 
 
 status  combinations.  Each  one  needs  to  be  checked  for  wording  and  accuracy  in  the 
specific operational context in which is it triggered. Changes will therefore be introduced 
in stages as templates are revised, tested and rolled out. 

This approach ensures that changes are carefully considered and implemented without 
disrupting  service  consistency.  Over 
improvements  will  strengthen 
time 
communication quality, support transparency, and build trust in the service. 

these 

Better Routine and Signposting 

Officers  regularly  review  system  and  process  performance  to  identify  opportunities  for 
improvement.  Officers  are  currently  testing  functionality  to  correct  a  report’s  category 
where an issue has been logged under the wrong heading so it can automatically be sent 
to the correct team. Improvements are also being made to the way follow up comments 
added to the FMS by customers are directed to officers to ensure clear visibility and aid 
timely responses. 

Work is ongoing to improve asset data and ownership clarity for both LCC and non-LCC 
assets,  this  will  enable  additional  information  to  be  rolled  out  across  other  categories 
resulting in increased transparency and awareness for customers. 

Planned Improvements 

Over the next 12 months planned improvements will build on changes already delivered 
and  in  progress.  The  pipeline  of  work  will  continue  to  focus  efforts  on  changes  that 
improve customer experience and can be delivered with the same level of resource or 
ideally less. This section provides more detail on some of the plant improvements. 

Improved Reporting Process 

Enhancing  the  reporting  journey  is  important  for  accuracy,  efficiency  and  customer 
experience. Additional guidance or prompts, and clearer map keys will make the process 
more  intuitive  at  the  point  of  reporting.  Alongside  this,  additional  features  such  as 
What3Words will be explored to increase report location accuracy for categories that do 
not use  asset  only reporting. As  well as  making  things  clearer for the  customer,  these 
changes will help enable more effective triage. 

Furthermore,  within  their  Engagement  Strategy,  LCC  have  committed  to  the  following 
objectives: 

Provide  comprehensive  service 
improve 
stakeholder  awareness  of  their  availability  to  drive  interaction  with  self-service 
channels  

information  and  resources,  and 

Effective  self-service  relies  on  the  availability  of  relevant  and  accessible  information. 
Despite  the  availability  of  digital  platforms  such  as  one.network  and  FixMyStreet,  and 

 
 
 
 information on the LCC website, many members of the public remain unaware of where 
to  find  accurate  information  and  timely  updates.  By  improving  public  awareness  and 
engagement with these resources, we aim to enhance transparency and enable residents 
to self-serve.  

By  the  end  of  March  2026,  we  will  complete  an  audit  of  all  public-facing  highways 
information  on  the  LCC  website.  Following  this we  will  deliver identified  improvements 
and undertake quarterly reviews to ensure quality and accessibility are maintained. We 
will seek to raise public awareness of service information and resources through targeted 
stakeholder communication and will measure performance using website analytics data 
including unique visitor numbers for key website pages. Data from 2024/25 will provide a 
baseline from which we aim to achieve an annual increase in unique website visitors.  

How we will achieve this:  

Audit the availability, quality, consistency and accessibility of all public-facing highways 
information on our website to identify any information gaps or areas for improvement by 
March 2026.  

Implement improvements where necessary to better enable stakeholders to self-serve, 
and undertake quarterly reviews, including quality checks to ensure our highways content 
is comprehensive and meets accessibility standards.  

Ensure  stakeholders  have  access  to  relevant  information  about  highways  services, 
including policies, planned works and self-service tools via the council’s website.  

Regularly update service delivery information so stakeholders remain informed of current 
priorities and any changes.  

Undertake  quarterly  reviews  with  relevant  stakeholders  to  maintain  availability,  quality 
and accessibility of information.  

Promote  the  availability  of  information  and  self-service  tools  through  the  highway’s 
newsletter and targeted other stakeholder communications.  

Increase visibility at public events to promote information sources and gather feedback 
on how to further improve awareness.  

Increase the use of social media channels to engage a wider audience.  

Continue to develop and promote FixMyStreet (FMS) 

Ensuring the platform, we use deliver a user-friendly experience, is crucial for enabling 
stakeholder engagement.  By  continuing  to  develop  and  promote  the  FMS  platform  we 
ensure  it  provides  quality  information,  integrates  with  our  internal  asset  management 
system to support delivery and demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement 
and enhancing stakeholder experience.  

 
 
 
 We will continue to maintain a prioritised pipeline of enhancements. Performance will be 
measured through the number of unique users actively using FMS and the percentage of 
positive  feedback  received  through  the  post-completion  survey.  Data  collected  during 
2025/26 will provide a baseline from which we aim to achieve an annual improvement of 
both measures.  

How we will achieve this:  

Progress a pipeline of FMS improvements to improve customer experience, enhance the 
quality of reports and visibility of planned works, and maintain efficient integration with 
our asset management system.  

Promote FMS through planned communication activities.  

Review  existing 
comprehensive and suitable for the situation.  

responses 

template 

to  ensure  customer  communication 

is 

Collect stakeholder satisfaction data through the post-completion survey.  

LCC seeks to ensure that the Lincolnshire Road Network is repaired and maintained and 
continually  seeks  to  improve  its  methods  of  working  through  its  policies  and  identified 
strategies with a view to ensuring that the roads are safe for all road users and avoiding 
accidents like the one involving Ayan Sediqi. We take this opportunity to again offer our 
sincere condolences to the family of Ayan Sediqi for their loss.  

Yours faithfully 

Principal Lawyer 

For Legal Services Lincolnshire

24 February 2026

Jayne Wilkes
HM Area Coroner - Greater Lincolnshire
The Myle Cross Centre
Macaulay Drive
Lincoln, LN2 4EL

Sent via email

Dear Ms Wilkes

Re: Inquest touching the death of the late Ayan SEDIQI - 
Regulation 28 -  Report to Prevent Future Deaths

Thank you for your recent Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths, issued on 12 January 2026,
following the inquest into the death of Ayan SEDIQI.  We appreciate the opportunity to respond and
to outline the actions our organisation has taken, and is continuing to take, to address the matters of
concern you identified.

We take the  issues raised in your report extremely seriously and are committed to learning from this
tragic incident to reduce the risk of any similar occurrence in the future.

Summary of the Concerns Raised
You identified the following matters of concern:
Given the duration and extent of the flowing water/ice on the A l   at the location of the collision, and
the  number of road users who  would have passed over it, that  there is a lack of public awareness as
to  who,  where  and  how  motorists should report circumstances which  present a  risk  of  immediate
danger to road users.

Planned Actions:
To address the concern regarding public awareness of how to report road-related matters, we propose
the following action:

National Highways Customer Contact Centre Promotion:
We  will work  with  National Highways to  support and amplify the  promotion of their 24/7 Customer
Contact Centre number within Lincolnshire Police engagement activity relating to road-related issues.
This will include incorporating the  number into  our  public-facing materials, community engagement
sessions, digital communications, and routine messaging.  The purpose of this action is to ensure that
members of the public have greater clarity about who to contact and how to report concerns, enabling
relevant  agencies  to  receive  timely  information  and  take  appropriate  action.  Strengthening  this
awareness will support faster issue resolution and help reduce the likelihood of similar circumstances
arising in the future.

Deputy Chief Constable
Police Headquarters
PO Box 999, Lincoln LN5 7PH
(SatNav:  LN2 2LT)
www.lincs.police.uk

V  101

 Page 2
24 February 2026

We  believe  that  the  action  we  are  taking enables National Highways to  best  inform  the  public  in
Lincolnshire about how to report crimes to the relevant responsible organisation.  Whilst we are clear
that  the  responsibility to  triage  and respond to  concerns around the  Al  in  Lincolnshire  rests with
National Highways, we  understand  that  our  engagement  reach locally  is more  likely  to  reach  the
intended audience, and therefore represents a better opportunity to prevent further incidents.

We are committed to learning from this case and ensuring that  robust and effective systems are in
place  to  prevent  future  deaths.  We  hope  that  the  actions  outlined  provide  assurance that  the
concerns raised in your report have been fully considered and are being actively addressed.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further information.

Yours sincerely

Deputy Chief Constable

REGULATION 29 RESPONSE TO A REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE 
DEATHS 

THIS RESPONSE IS BEING SENT TO: 

The  Area  Coroner  for  the  Coroner  area  of  Greater  Lincolnshire,  of  The 
Myle  Cross  Centre,  Macaulay  Drive,  Lincoln,  Lincolnshire  LN2  4EL  in 
response to a ‘Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths’  issued after an 
inquest into the death of Ayan Sediqi.  

1  NATIONAL HIGHWAYS 

I  am 
,  Director  of  Operational  Services,  Operations 
Directorate, responding on behalf of National Highways Limited, Three Snowhill, 
Snow Hill Queensway, Birmingham, B4 6GA. 

National Highways is the highway authority for the strategic road network (SRN) 
of  4,400  miles  of  major  A  roads  and  most  motorways  in  England.  National 
Highways  is  responsible  for  operating,  maintaining  and  improving  the  SRN  on 
behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport. 

2  CORONER’S MATTERS OF CONCERN 

The MATTERS OF CONCERN are as follows:–  

There is a lack of public awareness as to who, where and how motorists should 
report circumstances which present a risk of immediate danger to road users.  

3  DETAILS OF ACTION TAKEN 

Reporting an Emergency 

To report a risk of immediate danger to road users, the Highway Code provides 
clear guidance in the section “Breakdowns and Incidents (275 to 287)” that the 
first  point  of  contact  where  there  is  immediate  danger  /  an  emergency  (risk  of 
collision,  injury,  fire  etc)  or  obstructions  is  to  call  the  emergency  services  on 
999.A link to the relevant section of the Highway Code is provided here. 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/breakdowns-and-incidents-274-to-287 

National Highways Customer Contact Centre 

If a road user calls the National Highways 24/7 Customer Contact Centre (CCC) 
on  0300  123  5000,  we  provide  the  same  guidance  in  the  front-end  message 
customers hear, namely that they should call 999 if the nature of their call is an 
emergency. The CCC handled over 379,000 customer contacts (telephone calls, 
emails) in the 12 months to 31 January 2026, with the near 300,000 telephone 
calls  being  answered  on  average  within  37  seconds.  The  nature  of  these  calls 
range from reports of broken-down vehicles and potholes, to requests for details 
of planned road closures and CCTV footage to support insurance claims. 

When  a  customer  calls  the  CCC  raising  an  immediate  risk  or  issue,  this  is 
immediately referred to one of our seven Regional Operations Centres (ROCs) 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 who will review and, depending on the priority level of the risk, consider sending 
it  to  the  emergency  services  or  despatch  a  resource  to  assess  the  reported 
situation  thereby  ensuring  safety  issues  are  responded  to  in  a  timely  nature  at 
any time of the day. 

National Highways Website – Defect Reporting 

(DRT)  on 

Understanding  the  shift  towards  self-service  channels,  we  have  introduced  a 
the  National  Highways  website 
Defect  Reporting  Tool 
(https://report.nationalhighways.co.uk/) that can  be accessed through just  three 
clicks  from  the  home  page.  Before  accessing  the  DRT,  customers  are  again 
reminded  to  call  999  in  an  emergency.  National  Highways  received  12,970 
reports through the DRT tool in the 12 months to the end of December 2025. An 
important feature of the DRT is that it understands who operates and maintains 
the  road  and  location  that  a  user  is  reporting  an  issue  about.  If  the  road  is 
operated by a Local Highway Authority (LHA), the user’s report is automatically 
directed to the relevant LHA to investigate. 

During  2026/27  we  plan  to  launch  a  new  version  of  the  National  Highways 
website  that  is  designed  on  optimising  how  users  find  the  DRT  and  making  it 
visible on multiple pages for increased ease of access.  

Road Improvement Schemes 

When travelling on the SRN, we do place black on yellow hard plate signs at the 
end  of  major  roadwork  schemes,  providing  road  users  with  details  of  how  to 
contact National Highways via the CCC number on 0300 123 5000. 

4  DETAILS OF FURTHER ACTION PROPOSED 

To  increase  road  user  awareness  of  National  Highways  and  how  we  can  be 
contacted, we are already exploring the following themes and opportunities:  

Communications Activity 

We will look to incorporate advice into existing campaigns where feasible to do 
so,  and  we  will  explore  the  possibility  of  more  bespoke  awareness  raising 
activity in this space. This could include information in relevant press briefings, 
social  activity  and  through  our  partnerships  (building  on  our  existing  work  with 
for example, Halfords, KwikFit and police forces across England.  

Fleet Livery 

National  Highways  currently  has  803  on-road  vehicles 
the 
www.nationalhighways.co.uk website address as part of their standard livery. 
We will seek to extend this to all new National Highways vehicles as the fleet is 
replaced over time to increase the number of our vehicles displaying our website 
address to over 1,300. 

that  have 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Engagement Van 

National  Highways  has  an  engagement  van  that  travels  the  country  to  support 
colleagues when they are meeting the general public and discussing future road 
work  schemes.  By  30  June  2026,  we  will  ensure  that  they  have  promotional 
material that covers when and how members of the public can contact National 
Highways. 

Motorway Service Areas (MSAs) 

We  maintain  good  working  relationships  with  the  companies  who  operate  the 
MSAs and we will seek to identify how we might work with them to promote how 
and when to contact National Highways at the next meeting, expected to be by 
31 August 2026. 

Wayfinder Services 

Through  our  Digital  Labs team  we  have  established and maintain relationships 
with  wayfinder  service  providers,  such  as  Google  and  Waze,  providing  them 
with  access  to  our  data.  We  recognise  that  road  users  have  difficulty  in 
understanding  where  the  responsibility  between  National  Highways  and  Local 
Highway  Authority  roads  starts  and  ends.  Whilst  we  understand  the  wayfinder 
service  providers  are  private  entities  and  make  the  decisions  on  their  own 
products,  we could use these  relationships to explore  the  issue  with  them. We 
will seek out the next opportunity to discuss the subject and this will be done by 
30 April 2026. 

Traffic Officers and Highways Inspectors 

A  number  of roles  within  National  Highways  interact  with  road  users  as  part  of 
their day-to-day duties. We will ensure that they have access to the information 
they  need  to  educate  and  inform  road  users  about  when  and  how  to  contact 
National Highways as part of those regular interactions. This will be in place and 
rolled  out  to  the  Traffic  Officers  and  Highways  Inspectors  by  30  September 
2026. 

Social Media Channels 

Whilst  we  promote  the  use  of  other  ways  of  contacting  National  Highways  to 
inform  us  of  a risk to  road  users,  we  recognise that  customers  also  use  Social 
Media.  We  are  currently  standing  up  a  new  24/7  team  to  handle  contacts 
received through our X (formerly known as Twitter) channels which is planned to 
be operational from April 2026.  

Roadside Infrastructure 

Variable Message Signs (VMS) are the most visible piece of infrastructure at the 
roadside  of  National  Highways’  network,  although  located  predominantly  on 
motorways and not on the major A-roads.  

VMS  are  traffic  signs  covered  by  legislation  pertaining  to  their  use  and 
accordingly  we  prioritise  safety  and  operational  messaging.  However,  we  will 
explore  opportunities  to  increase  awareness  of  National  Highways  using  VMS 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 by the end of 2026, in line with safety and operational requirements. Such use of 
VMS  would  need  to  be  similar  to  “Don’t  Drive  Tired”  and  linked  to  wider 
communications,  and  mustn’t  be  seen to  encourage  mobile  phone  use,  due  to 
the associated safety implication. 

At the same time, we will also investigate if hard plate signage (black on yellow 
signs)  with  appropriate  messaging,  might  guide  road  users  to  reporting 
situations they consider present a risk of immediate danger to road users. 

5 

TIMETABLE FOR ACTION 

DATE      ACTION 

Ongoing  Ensure all relevant communications activities contain details as 

to how to contact National Highways. 

Ongoing  Ensure all newly commissioned vehicles into National 

Highways’ fleet incorporate the National Highways website into 
the livery. 

30/04/26  To have established our Social Media Response Team to 

respond to contacts made through social media channels (X / 
Twitter). 

30/04/26  To have met with wayfinder service providers and explored 

what opportunities there might be to inform road users about 
who operates / maintains the road they are travelling on. 

30/06/26  Ensure that the Engagement Van has promotional material that 
covers  when  and  how  members  of  the  public  can  contact 
National Highways. 

31/08/26  To have raised with MSA operators how to better promote 

contacting National Highways. 

30/09/26  To have ensured our on-road customer facing people have the 

knowledge / material to inform road users how to contact 
National Highways. 

30/09/26  To have explored how we might use roadside infrastructure 

aligned with other communications, to inform road users about 
how to contact National Highways. 

6  SAFETY OF ROAD USERS 

The safety of everyone on our road network matters; it is an imperative for our 
business in what we set out to achieve and a core value of our organisation in 
how we go about it.  

The  actions  already  taken  and  those  which  are  planned  as  outlined  above  are 
designed  to  help  report  a  risk  of  immediate  danger  to  road  users  to  National 
Highways so that appropriate action can be taken to prevent future deaths.  

4 March 2026 

Signed: 

Director of Operational Services 

4