Two travellers battered another traveller to death with a shovel and a steel plasterer's whisk when he stopped for refreshments at an M25 service station, a court heard today.

Simon Baker, 22, and Mikey Coyle, 21, allegedly grabbed the building tools from their white van and killed 20-year-old Quhey Saunders in a shop at Cobham Services on 26 June.

Prosecutors claim the pair were "spoiling" for a fight when they drove to the service station and exchanged "heated words" with Mr Saunders.

CCTV footage shows Coyle arming himself with a large shovel and Baker taking a heavy duty steel whisk from the van before their alleged victim was bludgeoned to death.

Mr Saunders was travelling home with his friend Marian Barbu and his uncle and aunt Patrick and Lizzy Connor a day after a family wedding in Wales when they made the "fateful and tragic" decision to pull over, jurors heard.

Prosecutor Sandip Patel, QC, said: "On 26 June, a hot summer's day, Quhey Saunders attended a family wedding the day before and was going home with a close friend of his.

"They decided to stop at the service station for refreshments.

"It was about 3pm - the two defendants were travelling together in a van loaded with building tools and they had also decided to stop there.

"As the defendants drove off they passed a Ford Focus car - Mrs Connor was seated at the rear and she got out, Mr Saunders left a moment later.

"As they got out, they glanced towards the van as it drove off and so the defendants must have looked in their direction because they drove the wrong way around the one way system to go back towards them.

"The prosecution say that this dangerous manoeuvre was so they could return to the forecourt as quickly as possible because they were spoiling for confrontation.

"The defendants stopped in front of the Ford Focus so as to block its path.

"They jumped out of the van and found Mr Saunders inside. It appears that heated words were exchanged, moments later Mr Coyle can be seen leaving the shop alone.

"Mr Coyle said something to Mr Saunders that caused alarm and what followed was a short and brief fight involving all three men which moved into the shop.

"Mr Coyle can be seen removing from the van a large shovel. Mr Baker then goes and takes out a plasterers' whisk.

"They can then be seen moving into the shop - by that stage both defendants are armed - Mr Saunders was empty handed.

"Mr Saunders received a catastrophic head injury by the whisk... the defendant knowing at the very least that Mr Saunders was badly injured, ran off."

The court heard Mr Saunders was airlifted to hospital but died three days later due to a head wound which travelled 10cm through his brain.

Mr Patel continued: "The defendants' van was recovered the next day after being searched for by a police helicopter - no shovel was found.

"On 29 June, Mr Baker handed himself in at Guildford Police Station.

"In his written statement he said in essence that he acted in self-defence.

"The defendants do not dispute that they were there, that they armed themselves with make-shift weapons and that the whisk caused the fatal injury."

Baker, of Ivy Hatch Residential Site, Green Lane, Outwood, Redhill, Surrey, and Coyle, of Howsman Barnes, Kingston, both deny murder.

The trial continues tomorrow.