The father of a man who suffered severe head injuries in a car crash has spoken of the family's mixed emotions after £2.4 million was awarded in compensation.

Simon Hanmore, 27, who lives in Chichester, has been awarded £2.4 million after the car his friend Jason Baker was driving, skidded on black ice on Selhurst Park Road on January 9, 1997.

Simon, who has a nine-year-old daughter, survived, and has been receiving treatment at the Unsted Park Rehabilitation Hospital in Godalming, Surrey.

His father, Derek Hanmore, 50, who works at an accident repair centre in Chichester and who lives at The Pitcroft in Chichester, said: "We are very pleased with the outcome for my son and the hard work that went into it by everybody concerned.

"Of course the other side of it is the bad side - that the accident had to happen at all, but it couldn't be helped by anybody.

"My son has got compensation to last his lifetime, but he won't get a lot out of his care. We are very, very friendly with the family of the car driver - they have lost their son and it won't be long before the anniversary.

"For him to get some good out of this, someone had to lose a son and it's a very hard time of the year for them and us."

He said the money would go towards paying for a specially-adapted van to provide transport for Simon, a new wheelchair and it meant they would be able to afford the 24-hour care Simon needs.

The family sued Mr Baker's insurers, Axa Insurance, alleging negligence in the driver's handling of the car and was awarded the damages in the High Court in London on Monday after Mr Baker's insurers admitted liability.

Axa had already made an interim payment of £65,000 for Simon's rehabilitation.

His mother, Sheila, who works at St Richards' Hospital in Chichester, said she was "relieved" the case had been settled.

She said her son's condition had improved since the accident by "leaps and bounds" and doctors said he had "broken all the rules in the medical books."

Approving the settlement, Judge Robert Taylor said: "I feel I would like to say that obviously my deepest sympathy goes out to Simon, his parents and his family for the very tragic consequences which he has to live with.

"While I realise that money is no compensation, I do hope that now everything has been resolved, a weight will have been taken off everybody's mind, particularly Mr and Mrs Hanmore, and that they will be able to look forward to a future with some alleviation."