A DRIVER and his passenger died instantly when the powerful sports car they were in smashed through a motorway bridge parapet at 123mph and burst into flames.

Samuel Warburton, 22, who was over the drink-drive limit, and passenger Callum MacPhearson, 23, were killed when he lost control at the M3 and M27 Chilworth interchange, close to Rownhams services.

The car hit the M3 crash barriers so hard as it spun, it destroyed eight support posts and demolished a lamp-post as it went into the air and landed on the M27.

An inquest in Winchester heard the pair travelled from London in the car, which belonged to Mr MacPhearson's father in the early hours of February 5.

Coroner Grahame Short, recorded a verdict of unlawful killing on Mr MacPhearson, saying the driver had caused his death by breaching a duty of care to his passenger.

The verdict on Mr Warburton was accidental death.

The inquest heard the pair, from London, had been drinking in Covent Garden.

Tests later showed that Mr Warburton was more than one and a half times the drink-driving limit.

Motorist Michael Walters, of Totton, was heading westbound on the M27 at the time of the crash.

He told Mr Short: "I saw the flyover of the M3 three hundred yards in front of me and to my horror a car came hurtling through the barrier above. It then flew across both carriageways of the M27 on the grass bank where it burst into flames.''

Pc Paul Duncan, of Eastleigh traffic police was in the first police car at the crash scene.

He told the coroner he saw two people in the Jaguar.

"We found it on top of the M27 nearside crash barrier, which had collapsed.

"The fire was so fierce there was no way of retrieving anyone from the vehicle," he said.

Accident investigator Stanley Gibbs said the car's fuel tank probably ruptured as it hit the lamp post.

The coroner said speed and drink mainly caused the crash.

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