A Longborough teenager was almost twice over the drink-drive limit and may have been using his mobile phone when he crashed his car into a Cotswold stone wall and suffered fatal injuries, an inquest heard on Thursday, March 11.

Daniel Hill, 19, of The Folly, Longborough, near Moreton-in-Marsh, was at the wheel of his white Mitsubishi Colt on December 5 last year when he lost control on the A40 at Whittington, near Cheltenham, the Gloucester inquest was told.

Police collision investigator David Langridge said that after going round a sharp right hand bend the car rotated to the right and crossed the carriageway. striking the offside kerb.

"The vehicle continued over the grass verge sideways and struck and knocked down some metal posts. It went over a driveway and hit more posts before colliding with a dry stone wall. It then rebounded from the wall and came to rest on the grass verge," he said.

Although it appeared that Daniel was wearing his seat belt his body had been 'forced in different directions at speed' by the nature of the incident and he had suffered severe head injuries on impact with the wall, the investigator said.

There was no evidence that Daniel was driving in anything other than a normal manner before the incident and there were no defects found on the car. The tyres had very good tread, said Mr Langridge.

However, Daniel's blood alcohol reading of 151 mgs percent was almost twice the legal limit.

"Mobile phone records suggest he may have been making a phone call prior to the collision. It is possible he was using his mobile phone when the collision occurred.

"The reason he lost control of the car is likely due to the excess alcohol impairing his driving. Consideration should also be given to the possibility he was distracted by the use of his mobile phone."

The assistant Gloucestershire Coroner Roland Wooderson was told that Daniel died from a traumatic brain injury.

The coroner said: "Sadly it is clear that while driving his vehicle on December 5 he lost control and collided with a wall."