A man accused of causing death by dangerous driving did not "feel right" moments before the crash that killed his friend, a court heard.

Adam Clayton, 21, of Horseshoe Close, Pound Hill, Crawley, was behind the wheel of a hired Vauxhall Astra on the evening of June 4 last year when it collided with a Citroen on a stretch of the B2100 known as Balcombe High Street.

The impact resulted in the death of 19-year-old Eric Raine, from Crawley, who was a back-seat passenger.

Lewes Crown Court heard tapes of police interviews with Clayton after the accident.

He said he felt uneasy shortly before the crash, which took place after 11pm.

He said: "We went for a drive and, as I came into the corner, the car just slid away from me and I couldn't get it back.

"I don't even know why I went up that road.

"I was driving along and something didn't feel right so I slowed down.

"We were having a laugh and just mucking about.

"I didn't realise how fast I was going because I was only used to driving old cars but it was fine round the corner and then, as I got to the other end of the corner, there were these two lights and I braked and the whole car just went and I couldn't get it back."

He said he had been dazzled by the headlights of the on-coming car.

Clayton also told officers he had a gut feeling something was wrong before the crash.

He said: "I didn't have any problems with the car itself but when I went into High Street I had this really weird feeling inside."

Clayton said he did not remember the impact and that, after coming round, he had seen Raine "slumped" in the back seat and had tried to help him but said he was not breathing.

Earlier, accident investigator PC Graham Welsh told the court Raine had been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

He said: "However, the belt was unable to prevent lateral movement inside the car as it spun 180 degrees following the collision.

He also told the court he did not believe the Astra was travelling faster than the 60mph speed limit but said the "chicane" in the road could not be negotiated at speeds above 40mph.

The trial continues.