ONE of two drivers who died in a head-on collision near Whitchurch had been taking medication to help him sleep, an inquest heard.

Roland Holliehead, 65, from Wincanton, Somerset, and Kathryn Hunt, 35, from Alresford, suffered fatal injuries in a crash that took place in Cole Henley Road, just before 7am on January 28 this year.

An inquest at Alton Magistrates’ Court heard Mr Holliehead’s Ford Mondeo, travelling towards Kingsclere, had veered into the path of Mrs Hunt’s Renault Clio.

Gary Wooltorton, a minibus taxi driver, told the inquest he was 100 yards behind Mr Holliehead’s Ford Mondeo in Cole Henley Road when he saw a set of headlights travelling in the other direction.

He said: “I was approaching a junction to my right when suddenly I noticed the lights of the vehicles disappear. I saw debris all over the road quickly followed by the wreckage of the two cars.”

Paul Humphrey, Mr Wooltorton’s passenger, got out of the minibus to help, and said Mr Holliehead was still alive but Mrs Hunt had no pulse.

Paramedics who arrived on the scene tried in vain to resuscitate both drivers, who were declared dead at the scene.

A post mortem revealed that Mr Holliehead died from chest injuries, while Mrs Hunt, a transport manager, died from head injuries. It also found that Mr Holliehead had therapeutic levels of zopiclone in his blood, a prescription drug to help people with sleeping problems.

Stuart Robinson, who worked with Mr Holliehead at AWE Aldermaston where they were compliance managers for an external contractor, said the 65-year-old often fell asleep at his desk in the morning and had been warned by bosses to see a doctor.

Accident investigator PC Ed Wilson said the crash scene suggested the Ford Mondeo had veered into the path of the Renault Clio, but said the reason for this was unclear.

He said: “The most likely explanation is the driver of the Ford not being aware of his road positioning. This may be the result of the driver falling asleep or the effects of the hypnotic drugs in his system.”

Andrew Bradley, coroner for North East Hampshire, recorded verdicts of accidental death for both drivers.

He said: “It is a situation where it is more likely than not that it is inattention, either through sleep or zopiclone, that has caused him to move to the side and collide with the Renault Clio. It is a terrible situation.”