The death of three Lithuanian men in a car crash on the A350 near Semington was caused by a combination of speed, alcohol and drugs, an inquest has heard.

Marius Lukasevicius, 21, from Silver Street, Warminster, Nerius Retenis, 22, from Malvern Close, Melksham, and Gediminas Ezerskis, 25, also from Malvern Close, Melksham, all died after the silver Volvo S80 they were travelling in crashed into a tree on July 27 last year.

The inquest at Salisbury today heard that all three men had been out in Melksham drinking and taking drugs on the night of the incident and were later seen by serveral witnesses driving around the area at speed prior to the crash.

It was estimated that the car, driven by Mr Retenis, was travelling at more than 100mph on the 60mph road between the Semington roundabout and Stoney Gutter, when it lost control travelling south down the A350 towards Westbury.

All three men were instantly killed as a result of severe head injuries when the car collided with a tree before a fire broke out.

A toxicology report found that Mr Retenis had 120 milligrams of alcohol in his blood when the legal limit is 80 milligrams and that he had amphetamines and cannabis also in his system.

Both Mr Lukasevicius, the front-seat passenger, and Mr Ezerskis, a rear-seat passenger, were also found with alcohol and cannabis in their systems.

Giving evidence, PC Steve Fair of Wiltshire Police’s Collision Investigation Unit, said: “We will likely never know why the driver lost control as it may have been because of other factors in or outside the car.

“But in my opinion the vehicle was being driven at excessive speed and the levels of alcohol and cannabis found in the body would also have been a significant factor.

“This could have resulted in the car losing control and striking the tree from where it suffered catastrophic damage.”

PC Fair also described that there was no indication of a fault with the vehicle, which was bought four months earlier and had passed its MoT only two months prior to the crash.

However, he described that it was found with a spare wheel on the offside-front, legally limiting the speed of the vehicle to 50mph.

Recording her verdict, coroner Claire Balysz said: “All three men died as a result of a road traffic collision which was caused by a combination of excessive speed, alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines and a space saver tyre fitted to the car.”

Speaking after the hearing, Sergeant Barrie Card from Wiltshire Police’s Collision Investigation Unit said: “I hope that the young drivers of Wiltshire pay attention to this outcome, particularly those who smoke cannabis.

“The message is clear, do not drive after consuming alcohol, drugs or cannabis.”