A 32-YEAR-OLD man who was killed when his speeding car crashed on a notorious road had massive levels of ecstasy and amphetamine in his blood.

An inquest heard that Michael Ian Jones, of Cattle Street, Great Harwood, broke his neck in the crash on the Grane Road between Blackburn and Haslingden.

Subsequent blood tests showed that ecstasy was in his system at a level associated with serious toxicity and possible cardiac arrest.

He had also been taking ordinary amphetamine.

And coroner Michael Singleton, who recorded a verdict of accidental death, said Mr Jones had "courted disaster" through his behaviour in the final hours of his life, which ended on January 25.

"The Grane Road is notoriously dangerous, in any event, and to drive along it having consumed drugs to a degree that is described as toxic, at speed and not wearing a seat belt is courting disaster," said Mr Singleton.

The inquest heard that Mr Jones's home address was in Baxendale Street, Bolton, but he lived mostly with his girlfriend Leanne Roberts in Cattle Street, Great Harwood.

Miss Roberts, who is still on crutches from injuries in the accident, said she remembered leaving McDonalds in Astley Bridge and driving along the Grane Road, intending to go to her house to shower before going out.

She said Mr Jones was driving normally and he did not appear agitated or angry.

She remembered nothing of the crash itself but eye witnesses told how Mr Jones's car came round a left-hand bend at speed, went out of control and collided with a Vauxhall Cavalier coming in the opposite direction.

After the impact, his car left the ground before crashing into a bank. Both Miss Roberts and Miss Jones were thrown from the vehicle.

A man and a young boy walked away from the Cavalier but the driver was trapped by his legs and had to be freed by emergency services.

Pathologist Dr Richard Prescott said it was his view that the neck injuries had caused death.

The presence of the drugs was a contributory factor.