A DRIVER has been jailed after his passenger was killed when a car drove straight across a major East Lancs roundabout and hit trees.

A Mercedes A200 overshot the roundabout at the junction of the East Lancs Road and Warrington Road - commonly known as the Greyhound Roundabout - in Leigh.

A 30-year-old passenger, named locally as Mark Taylor, died at the scene.

The driver Reece Entwistle, 29, of Deansgate Lane, Timperley was arrested.

He was subsequently charged with causing death by dangerous driving and driving whilst over the prescribed limit for drink/drugs.

After pleading guilty at an earlier hearing, today Wednesday, November 4, Entwistle was sentenced at Bolton Crown Court to seven years and six months in prison.

He was also disqualified from driving for 13 years.

The crash happened on Saturday, August 22 at 11pm.

Three fire engines were called to the scene, at the junction of East Lancashire and Warrington Road, and a bystander put out a fire after a blaze broke out from the Mercedes.

The eastbound sections of the East Lancs between Atherleigh Way and the scene of the crash was closed for a number of hours.

PC Karl Horner, of GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Our thoughts remain with the man's loved ones and I hope this sentencing provides them with a sense of closure.

"I also hope this case serves as a reminder about the potential consequences of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs."