A DRIVER who died when his car was flung into the air after hitting a Basingstoke town centre roundabout was four times over the legal drink-drive limit, an inquest heard.

Paul Tebay, 35, of Barra Close, Oakley, broke his neck when he drove into the barriers at the Victory Road roundabout shortly after 11pm on March 24.

Melanie Thompson and Colin McBeath, who were driving down Churchill Way towards the roundabout when the crash happened, described watching Mr Tebay's silver Vauxhall Cavalier overtake them.

Mr McBeath said: "The car hit the roundabout and then proceeded to go up in the air. It actually turned in the air and landed on its roof. We came to a sudden halt and called the emergency services."

Mr Tebay was taken by ambulance to Basing-stoke hospital, where he died at 12.30am. The road was closed until 4am while investigators examined the scene.

The inquest heard a post-mortem examination revealed Mr Tebay, a former truck driver, had just over four times the legal drink-drive limit of alcohol in his blood.

Coronor Andrew Bradley, recording a verdict of accidental death, said: "The investigation has left me with a question mark, which is Paul's failure to negotiate the Victory Roundabout.

"It seems extraordinary, and the only explanation I have for that is the alcohol.

"It was a significant level of alcohol in his blood, sufficient that he would have been stumbling if he was walking - never mind driving."