THE parents of Roxanne Nicholson have welcomed plans to block access to the M66 and save future lives.

Roxanne, known affectionately as Rocky, was killed in April after being hit by a car as she ran across the busy motorway.

An inquest was told yesterday that the drunken youngster and a group of other teenagers climbed over a waist high fence to reach the hard shoulder.

Her mum, Angela, speaking after a verdict of accidental death was recorded by coroner Barrie Williams, said the replacement of the fence by the Highways Agency was a necessity.

She said: "It must be made more difficult for children to get on to the motorway.

"I don't want my Roxanne's death to be in vain."

The inquest was told that Rocky, aged 14, had taken a day off from Broad Oak High School on April 7.

She spent the early afternoon drinking vodka with her mum, stepfather and brother and a friend.

Later, she was one of four girls drinking white wine in a housing estate near the motorway at Fairfield.

Friends, who gave evidence at the inquest, said Rocky, of Dunblane Grove, Darnhill, ran up the embankment of the M66 to speak to a group of boys who had been calling them names.

One young girl said: "The boys went across the motorway and Rocky and I followed them. She was going to tell them off about name calling.

"We couldn't get down the embankment on the other side of the motorway because it was too steep so we went back to where we got on."

According to one of the boys, Rocky had hurt her leg when she crossed the central reservation the first time and was lagging behind the others.

The youngster called to Rocky to stop when he realised a car was coming but she may not have heard and, despite stopping for several seconds, she began running.

James Muir, the driver of the Subaru which was in collision with Rocky, said in a statement that a figure appeared directly in front of him and he had no chance to swerve.

Rocky suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at Bury General Hospital.

Mr Williams said Mr Muir would not have expected to see someone on the motorway and Rocky may have been hidden by the dazzle of headlights from oncoming traffic.

He said: "It is not a matter of particular comfort to Roxanne's family that steps are now to be taken to make the motorway, which runs through a housing estate where there are lots of children, less accessible."