TWO young fathers were killed when their car, driven at high speed while over the drink-drive limit, hit a prison van head-on, an inquest heard yesterday.

Witnesses estimated the Ford Fiesta was travelling at 80mph when it veered into the path of the Leyland DAF on the A688 on the road between Bowburn and Tursdale, near Durham.

Driver Andrew Keith Fairley, 20, of Cedar Terrace, and Alan Nicholson, 24, of Poplar Terrace, both West Cornforth, died instantly at the scene.

The accident happened just before 7pm on June 30 and the impact was so severe that the front of the car was badly crushed.

The van driver, Lynne Gray, a prison custody officer, and her colleague, were trapped in the cab and had to be freed by rescue crews.

Miss Gray suffered minor injuries, but her passenger suffered multiple leg fractures. There were no prisoners in the van at the time of the crash.

Tests later revealed Mr Fairley was two-and-a-half times the legal drink-drive limit.

Witness Gordon Thornton, of Bowburn, told an inquest at Chester-le-Street Magistrates' Court yesterday how he saw the car speeding prior to the smash.

He said: "The first thing I heard was the screeching of tyres. I thought he was going to lose it at the roundabout. It screeched all the way round.

"It seemed it was on two wheels it was going that fast."

Mr Thornton said the car appeared to veer from side to side across the road before moving into the path of the oncoming van.

Miss Gray, who was driving, said the conditions were clear and the road was not busy.

She said: "I could see it was going fast because it was juddering. It came over to the other side of the road. It literally moved straight over and was straight in front of us.

"It all happened so quick. I remember hitting the car and it seemed to flip over the cab.

"The next thing I knew we had come to a stop by the side of the road on the grass."

A verdict of accidental death was recorded by deputy coroner Brenda Davison