A 26-year-old Colchester woman died after her car crashed on the A12, an inquest was told yesterday.

Colchester woman Heather Loveridge, known by family and friends as Meg, died on August 2 last year, following the accident at Holton St Mary.

The inquest was told she had 148mgs of alcohol in 100mls of blood when her silver Skoda Fabia careered off the dual carriageway before hitting a sign and flipping over. The legal limit is 80mgs of alcohol in 100mls of blood.

Catherine Wood, assistant coroner for Suffolk, said: “The post mortem revealed a level of alcohol that was over the limit for driving and may have caused drunkenness.”

On Wednesday, Suffolk Coroners Court heard witness statements from other motorists who reported seeing the Skoda fail to take a right-hand bend heading northbound close to the slip road to the B1070 at Holton St Mary.

Instead, the carer’s car continued straight and clipped the kerb before mounting the grass verge and hitting a junction distance marker sign and overturning.

The vehicle came to a rest on the carriageway on the driver’s side.

Thomas Brundell was driving a van behind the Skoda as he returned home from work and said the weather conditions were dry at the time of the crash at 7.44pm.

The coroner added: “He said he did not see any obvious reason as to why the Skoda vehicle would have left the road.”

Another driver, Matthew Hart, was travelling southbound in the opposite direction and saw the car flip over in the inside lane before coming to a rest in the overtaking lane.

He said there was nothing obvious that would have caused the Skoda to crash and no obstacles in the road, adding that he initially thought the driver had been on the phone.

A toxicological analysis conducted by Dr Olga Gronowska-Szczecina found the high levels of alcohol in her blood.

In a tribute statement following her death last year, her family said: “Meg was a loving partner, daughter, a sister, a friend and a carer.

"Loved by all that knew her and will be missed by so many, especially her dog Jessie that had been by her side from a puppy and was there to keep her warm until the very end.

"Sleep tight Meg, we all miss you so much.”

The coroner recorded a verdict of road traffic collision.