A devoted father died in a car crash as he sped home after a night clubbing when he was nearly three times over the drink drive limit.

Paul Ashurst's widow Tracy told an inquest: "He was a fast driver but knew the streets well as if he had been a pizza delivery driver."

She said he was going at a speed of at least 60 miles an hour in the early hours of the morning because he had to get up early to take their three children to the circus.

Mr Ashurst, 32, of Hythe Road, Brighton, died instantly when he lost control of his green Rover Metro as he travelled east along Viaduct Road, Brighton, and ploughed through the walls of three houses before his car flipped upside down.

The inquest at Brighton Magistrates Court heard how he sustained extensive head injuries, fractures to the upper body and had enough alcohol and cannabis in his system to decrease his ability to perform tasks such as driving.

He had 230mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, the legal limit is 80mg.

Mrs Ashurst, 27, of Warrior Close, Portslade, who Mr Ashurst had recently separated from, told the inquest: "I do know that Paul smoked cannabis and had done for many years. He was just keen to get home after a night out clubbing."

Witness Peter Free, of Old Shoreham Road, Southwick, said while travelling to work on his scooter, he noticed Mr Ashurst's Metro pull up behind him at a set of traffic lights.

Mr Free said: "He was playing loud music and it sounded like he was trying to keep the engine going. The traffic lights changed, I looked in the mirror and he had stalled."

He described how halfway down the road Mr Ashurst overtook him at a speed of at least 60 miles an hour. The limit was 30 miles an hour.

Mr Free said: "The car hit a hump, started to bounce and then lost control on a left hand curve. I heard the crash before I saw it. I thought it may have hit a wall due to the noise and wreckage.

"It seemed entirely due to the speed at which he was travelling. It was inevitable."

PC Simon Lane, of the crash investigation unit at Shoreham Police Station, described how he arrived at the scene on May 25 this year to find Mr Ashurst still inside the overturned vehicle.

He said the crushed car probably rolled over a couple of times before coming to a rest on Upper Lewes Road, more than 90 metres from where Mr Ashcroft lost control.

He said: "The road surface was dry and it was well-lit. There was no indication of external influences or mechanical defects to the car.

"Excess speed, levels of alcohol and cannabis caused the crash."

Coroner Veronica Hamilton Deely, who recorded a verdict of accidental death, said: "He was travelling very fast along Viaduct Road. Unfortunately the lights were green so he didn't have to reduce his speed and went over the brow of the junction."