A POPULAR 23-year-old man died after driving at speeds of up to 125mph while more than twice the drink drive limit, an inquest heard.

Usman Hussain was killed after his BMW collided with a heavy goods vehicle on the M62 eastbound between junction eight in Burtonwood and nine in Winwick on December 27 in 2015.

Usman’s inquest was held at Warrington Coroner’s Court on Monday.

The former Woolston man, of Manchester Road, was driving back towards home following a night out in Liverpool with friends.

Traffic officer PC Gareth Berry, who was driving a BMW X5, was positioned close to junction five of the motorway at around 3.50am when he spotted the car travelling at an ‘extremely high speed’.

He said: “I did not activate the emergency equipment.

“The main aim for me was to try to prevent a pursuit of the vehicle.

“Because the motorway was so dark he would not have realised it was a police vehicle.

“The vehicle was travelling fast but it did not have any erratic movements.

“Just prior to junction eight I was able to start pacing the vehicle, I was now travelling at the same speed.

"We reached the ‘bowl roundabout’ at junction eight and I noticed a HGV travelling in lane one.

“The HGV remained in lane one but there was an ‘on slip’ at junction eight.

“The vehicle then moved from lane two to lane one and collided with the rear of the HGV.”

Collision investigator PC Kevin Sweeney said Usman had been travelling between 120 to 125mph, with the HGV travelling at around 52mph, prior to the incident.

The inquest heard there was no evidence to show that the police car reached closer than 210m to Usman’s vehicle prior to the collision.

An Independent Police Complaints Commission report said the incident ‘did not constitute a pursuit’ and that PC Berry’s actions ‘were proportionate’.

The family were not present at the inquest but Usman’s mum, Fiaz, paid tribute to her son in a statement which was read out.

She said: "The last time I saw Usman alive he gave me a big hug.

"He had lots of plans for the future.

"He had captured the hearts of so many."

A toxicology report confirmed the blood alcohol level in Mr Hussain’s body was 183mg per decilitre – more than twice the legal limit.

Coroner Claire Welch confirmed the cause of death as 'severe head injuries'.

She said: "Both vehicles travelled between 120 to 125mph – at no point did the police vehicle reach closer to Mr Hussain's vehicle than 210m.

"He did not activate the emergency equipment until after the collision.

"It is clear that the speed and alcohol are likely to have impaired his ability to react to the HGV."

The HGV driver was not injured in the crash.