A regional daily has apologised to a father who learned of his son’s death after reading an article on the newspaper’s website.

The unnamed man said he had identified his son’s car in two photographs run by the Cambridge News, which showed the aftermath of a crash on the A10 in Cambridgeshire.

The man’s son was not named in the accompanying article, but his age was reported.

The News had reported the collision following a police press release, and its photographer was given permission to take photographs of the scene of the collision by officers.

The newspaper had been made aware that the deceased’s next-of-kin had not been informed of the incident, and had ensured the registration plates of the cars involved were pixelated in the photographs published.

It also did not publish the deceased’s name until after it had been released by police.

The man complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation that the News had breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors’ Code of Practice, but the paper agreed to write him a private letter of apology before the press watchdog could reach a conclusion on the matter.

The full resolution statement can be read here.