A 25-year-old driver has gone on trial accused of being involved in a race between two cars which ended with the deaths of three teenage girls.

Ursula Alokolaro, 16, from Heckmondwike, and her two friends 15-year-old Gemma Cost, from Batley, and 16-year-old Natalie Donlan, from Dewsbury, all died when the Ford Fiesta they were in crashed into a flat-back lorry.

Another jury has already decided that 27-year-old Fiesta driver James Houston, who was severely injured in the collision, caused the deaths of his three rear-seat passengers, but today Adam Anguige, of White Leaf Road, Batley, was also alleged to have been responsible.

The jury at Bradford Crown Court was told that in the lead-up to the fatal collision in September 2006 Anguige, who was driving a Vauxhall Nova, had been involved in competitive driving with Houston along Wakefield Road, Huddersfield.

Prosecutor Andrew Dallas told the jury that Houston, of Croft Cottage Lane, Huddersfield, had been trying to overtake both Anguige's Nova and a Range Rover on a sweeping left-hand bend when he lost control of the Fiesta and crashed into the on-coming lorry.

Mr Dallas alleged that the Friday night collision happened after Anguige "picked up the gauntlet" thrown down by Houston while they were both driving around in their recently acquired hatchbacks.

On the evening of the crash, Anguige and his girlfriend were driving in a Vauxhall Tigra when they came across Houston, who had the three girls and a male friend, in his Fiesta.

Mr Dallas alleged that some of the Fiesta's occupants made rude gestures and swore as it sped past Anguige's Tigra and a vehicle carrying some of his friends.

"The effect on the drivers of the other two cars may well have been just what James Houston, or possibly some or all of his passengers, intended and they set off after him," said Mr Dallas.

"We say from then on the defendant and James Houston, in one way or another, were driving competitively. Encouraging each other in effect."

Mr Dallas said witnesses described seeing two cars travelling at "abnormally high speed" along the 40mph stretch of road.

The Nova is alleged to have overtaken the Range Rover, with Houston simultaneously overtaking Anguige's vehicle before the Fiesta struck the Nova and then crashed side-on into the front of the flat-back lorry.

Anguige intitially drove off, but returned without his girlfriend.

In his initial witness statement to police he claimed he was in shock after the accident, which he said happened when he was about three car lengths behind the Fiesta.

In a later police interview, Anguige denied he had been racing and claimed he backed off well before the bend.

But Mr Dallas said Anguige left the scene because he knew he had been involved in the incident.

Anguige has denied three charges of causing death by dangerous driving and his trial is expected to last about five days.