TWO brothers who died when their car crashed into a tree had been drinking, an inquest heard.

But Worcestershire coroner Victor Round stressed he would not blame drinking for the crash.

John Sliwinski had 146mg alcohol per 100mg of blood, where the legal limit is 80mg, on the night the Volkswagen Golf he was driving left the B4624 Worcester Road outside Sankey Marina on the outskirts of Evesham.

The 23-year-old, of Durcott Road, Evesham, suffered fatal head and neck injuries while his 19-year-old brother Joe, of Barnards Close, also Evesham, who was in the front passenger seat, died from multiple injuries caused by the collision shortly before 1.30am on Sunday, February 18.

The inquest, at Worcestershire County Coroner's Court, Stourport-on-Severn, yesterday, was told both brothers died instantly.

In a statement, accident investigator Graham Powell said he arrived on the scene an hour after the accident.

"The force of the impact left the tree embedded in the car where the front passenger seat would have been," he said. He said that, from the road markings, he was of the opinion that John had failed to perceive a slight right-hand curve in the road and the vehicle had gone straight on.

"The level of intoxication may have impeded his judgement of the change in course of the road," he said.

Mr Round said John was over the drink-drive limit, but the level of alcohol in his blood was not that high.

He said: "I wouldn't necessarily assume that it was to blame for the crash. I would say there is some chance he could have been nodding off.

"It would be too easy to say that he was over the limit but I do note the time of the accident. There was no indication of wild driving or anything like that.

"We are never going to find out anything more than that."

He recorded a verdict of accidental death.

At the time of John and Joe's death, their mother Joan Clear paid tribute to her "extremely loyal" sons, who would be missed by their many friends.

"John was very bouncy and outward-going but Joe was much quieter and preferredwhat he called "people watching".

John was a mechanic at R & K Services, Evesham, while Joe was studying computer technology at Evesham College