The partner of a woman who died after driving into standing water on a main road and crashing has agreed an £850,000 settlement after taking legal action against Highways England, a judge has been told.

Deputy High Court Judge Margaret Obi heard how mother-of-two Susan Henderson, 36, lost control of her car on the A5 near Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, in August 2018.

Her then partner, Darrell Manning, alleged Highways England had breached a duty in the Highways Act and claimed about £1.4 million in damages, the judge heard.

Judge Obi approved the £850,000 settlement at a High Court hearing in London on Thursday.

A barrister representing Mr Manning outlined details of the case.

Charles Curtis told the judge how Ms Henderson had lost control after driving into a “large area of standing water”, and that Highways England Company Limited had “admitted liability”.

He said there had been a dispute over a damages figure and a trial had been due to start.

But he told the judge that Highways England had made an offer which Mr Manning wanted to accept.

Judge Obi said she was “satisfied” the £850,000 settlement was “appropriate”.

The couple had lived in the Milton Keynes area and had two children.

Highways England was not represented at the hearing.

A coroner for the Milton Keynes area, Tom Osborne, had overseen an inquest into Ms Henderson’s death and, in May 2019, made a “report to prevent future deaths”.

He raised concerns and sent the report to the chief executive of Highways England.

He heard how Ms Henderson’s car had been in collision with another car and another driver, Margaret Shaw, 53, had also died.

“Susan and Margaret died on the A5, Milton Keynes, when one car aquaplaned across the road into the path of an oncoming vehicle,” said Mr Osborne in his report, which was published online.

“Both drivers died at the scene as a result of their injuries.”

He said the inquest, which concluded in April 2019, heard how standing water had “accumulated due to blocked gullies on the side of the road” that had “not previously been identified on routine inspection”.

He said in his report: “I heard how the roads are examined and monitored on a regular basis but that such inspections are conducted at speed and that the process failed to identify the problem with this particular drain on the A5.

“I believe that the process for inspection should be reviewed.

“In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths.”