A PAINTER and decorator was twice the legal alcohol limit and driving at 104mph when he died near Chirbury, a coroner has ruled.

John Charles Mark Pennell, 37, from Kingstanding in Birmingham, had been staying with family at a caravan in Churchstoke but died after crashing into a telegraph pole on the A490 close to the junction of the B4386 around 11.30pm on Saturday, September 4.

According to a road investigator for West Mercia Police, data extracted from Mr Pennell's Ford Kuga car showed that he had been driving at 104mph when he lost control of the vehicle.

In a report read out by Shropshire coroner John Ellery, PC Mark Duffner told the court that there was no third party involved and no witnesses to the RTC and that Mr Pennell had 199 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of alcohol in his blood. The legal limit is 80.

Mr Ellery said: "The investigator, PC Mark Duffner, said that at 11.45pm on Friday, September 3, he attended the scene of a fatal RTC.

"There was one vehicle, a Ford Kuga, and the driver had suffered serious injury and was trapped.

"The vehicle was in a post-collision position.

County Times: The inquest was heard at Shirehall in Shrewsbury.The inquest was heard at Shirehall in Shrewsbury.

"The A490 is single carriageway with a 30mph speed limit.

"All witnesses refer to the aftermath of the RTC and no evidence to up to it.

"It was not possible to calculate speed by PC Duffner but data extracted shows that when the system detected the RTC with the telegraph pole, speed was 104mph, supported by GPS signal.

"This is significantly above the speed limit and is a contributing factor to the RTC."

He added: "The road is straight and open to the point of the RTC and it seems that the car was being driven above the speed limit throughout.

"The car would have needed greater driver input and skill over a crested curve in the road and would have become more difficult to keep control when it down hill towards the village.

"It is likely he lost control at this point.

"Travelling at 104mph it would have been impossible to stop if there were any traffic on the B road.

"However, he believes the road could be navigated at that speed on that night but doing so would be reckless as it would put oncoming traffic into danger."

Mr Ellery recorded a verdict of road traffic collision.