A WELL-known Southampton man died after he fell in the road and was run over by a car - just minutes after he left a city pub, an inquest heard.

The death of Kevin Pearce from Thornhill shocked regulars at the Bittern Pub.

He was well known for walking his iguana Julian and was a regular at the pub in Thornhill Park Road.

Winchester Coroner's Court heard how the 52-year-old from Ellwood Avenue in Thornhill had been drinking at a karaoke evening.

The court saw CCTV footage which showed Mr Pearce, 52, walk from the pub unsteady on his feet - just minutes before he fell in the road where he was run over by a Toyota Yaris driven by Shajad Ullah.

Just seconds before the crash, oncoming van driver Adam Karkus flashed his lights at Mr Ullah to alert him to Mr Pearce's presence in the road.

The court heard however this momentarily blinded Mr Ullah who did not spot Mr Pearce lying in the eastbound carriageway of the road close to the Texaco garage.

His car struck Mr Pearce who died of multiple injuries at the scene despite the efforts of paramedics.

The inquest heard that Mr Pearce was more than three times the drink drive limit.

Landlord at pub Glen McInnes told the hearing that Mr Pearce did not appear to be drunk when he came to the pub, and had told him to "take it easy" as he had been in hospital that day where he was treated for pneumonia.

Mr McInnes said: "A lot of people knew him and he knew a lot of people. He would mingle round the bar and have a chat here and there.

"He had been to hospital with pneumonia and got released the same day.

"He did not seem intoxicated when he arrived - if I thought he was intoxicated I would have not served him.

"I said to him you should not really be drinking; just take it easy."

He said he believes Mr Pearce drank around three and a half pints before leaving the pub at 11.50pm.

The inquest heard that it may have been hard to spot Mr Pearce in the road because he was wearing dark clothing and the section of road where he was lying had shadows from trees.

PC Michaela Kerr of Hampshire Police said: "As the Yaris approached the scene the driver's visibility would have been significantly affected by the glare of the headlights of the van, that could have caused glare, confusion and a distraction that would as a result leave the driver of the Yaris insufficient time to avoid the collision."

Senior coroner Grahame Short recorded a verdict of death due to road traffic collision.